UFC Fight Night 147: 10 memorable moments from the UFC's previous shows in the UK

#7: Freeman’s emotional victory – UFC 38 – 07/13/2002

Ian Freeman defeated Frank Mir in an emotional fight at the UFC's first show in the UK

Before Bisping, Hardy and Till, the UK’s favourite son in the UFC was Ian ‘The Machine’ Freeman. ‘The Machine’ became the first UFC fighter to hail from the UK when he debuted in the promotion way back in 2000 at UFC 24, and so when the UFC announced their debut at the Royal Albert Hall in 2002, it was a no-brainer that Freeman would be involved.

Unfortunately, at the age of 35, it seemed that Freeman’s prime had been and gone by the time the show rolled around. Freeman hadn’t fought for a year prior to the fight and faced with unbeaten young gun Frank Mir, he looked overmatched. And to make matters worse, his father was in hospital at the time, dying of cancer.

It turned out that all the emotional upheaval simply drove Freeman on. When Mir attempted an early leglock, Freeman simply battered the younger man with brutal ground-and-pound, hammering him with punches and elbows until his spirit was completely broken.

When the referee called a halt to the fight with 25 seconds remaining in the first round, the crowd went wild, as ‘The Machine’ had pulled off a huge upset. And to make things more emotional, Freeman then dedicated the fight to his father – who unbeknownst to him, had actually passed away the day before.