Belfast fighter who shouted ‘Free Palestine’ at Israeli opponent misses out on UFC contract

The Cage Warriors win improved McCorry’s professional record to 5-1 and earned him a shot in the UFC’s Contender Series under the watchful eye of top boss Dana White

A mixed martial arts fighter who made headlines for shouting ‘Free Palestine’ at his Israeli opponent missed out on a UFC contract, despite winning his last bout.

Paddy McCorry took on Israeli fighter Shuki Farage in Cage Warriors last July, where he was audibly seen saying ‘Free Palestine’ while tackling his opponent on the ground towards the end of the fight.

West Belfast man McCorry would go on to drape himself with a Palestinian flag upon getting the decision win.

The win improved McCorry’s professional record to 5-1 and earned him a shot in the UFC’s Contender Series under the watchful eye of top boss Dana White.

McCorry impressed against South Korean veteran Su Wang as he breezed to a unanimous decision, winning, scoring 30-27 on each of the three judges’ scorecards. However, in a night filled with action, he was not one of the four athletes to earn UFC contracts.

Instead, Dana White opted to hand out four contracts to Cody Chovanchek, Thomas Gantt, Iwo Baraniewski, and Hecher Sosa. With five fights taking place in the Contender Series, McCorry was the only winner not to be awarded a contract.

Speaking about the bout, White said, “I felt like there was a ton of stalling in this fight. I didn’t see anything, depending on who won this fight either way, that said ‘I have to have one of these guys’ it wasn’t your night brother. You got the win, it was a great. Get back out there and get back to work and maybe we’ll see you again.’

It wasn’t the first time that McCorry had had his heart broken in UFC action. He competed in The Ultimate Fighter 32 last year, progressing to the semi-finals, only to be defeated by Robert Valentin Frey.

Posting on Instagram after the fight, he said, “Win but no contract. Let myself down with that performance; not good enough. Back to the drawing board.”