UFC Belfast: Jack ‘The Hammer’ Marshman lives up to his name with big TKO victory

YOU wait for a Welshman to step into the Octagon and then two turn up at once.

And, following hot on the heels of his fellow countryman Brett Johns’ decision win earlier in the night, Jack Marshman produced a come-from-behind performance to stop in-form Swede Magnus Cedenblad and announce his arrival in the UFC’s middleweight division.

Marshman almost had the perfect start to the fight when the very first left hand he threw decked Cedenblad, as ‘The Hammer’ showcased his punch power early on in the contest.

But Cedenblad quickly reversed position on the mat and finished the round on top, battering the Welshman from the top position, leaving the paratrooper bloodied and bruised as he headed back to his corner.

But fans who have watched Marshman fight his way up the ranks to win championship belts with BAMMA (the Lonsdale middleweight title) and Cage Warriors (CWFC world middleweight title) know he’s more than comfortable in knock-down, drag-out affairs.

And in the second Marshman found his second wind, loading up on his shots and troubling the rangy Swede with power punches.

And after dropping Cedenblad with another huge shot, Marshman moved in for the finish to claim a memorable TKO victory and snap the Swedish man’s four-fight win streak in the UFC.

After the bout, the beaming Welshman proudly flew his flag as he shouted to the watching Conor McGregor: “Conor! You reckon that’s worth 50G’s or what?!”

And while he didn’t have a specific opponent he wanted to call out after his debut victory, he did call for a fight on the UFC’s upcoming Fight Night event in London on March 18.

“I’m over the moon,” he said.

“It’s an amazing feeling and the crowd was nuts for the Welsh. I’m sure the UFC must be thinking ‘Look at the Welsh guys coming in and getting two wins; s**t we’ve got an untapped market’.

“I topped the prelim card in my first fight in the UFC, fought a guy who was on a four-fight win streak in the UFC and knocked him out in the second round which was the round I said I was going to knock him out in.

“You can’t get much of a better feeling than I’ve got right now. I’m ecstatic.”

“Honest to God, after I get a few more fights in I’ll start calling guys out. There’s a ton of people that are in front of me.

“Give me whoever, I feel like I’m one of the best of them. I just knocked a guy out. Give me London in March.”