Kiefer Crosbie was on a two-fight losing streak ahead of his fight against Taiyilake Nueraji on UFC Fight Night in Shanghai, China. He would have needed to present an extraordinary performance to secure his future in the promotion. However, destiny had something else planned for Crosbie.

‘Super Saiyan’ proved to be a dominant force in the cage despite this being his debut in the promotion, as he won the fight via first-round knockout. However, Taiyilake Nueraji’s win came at a price, which has launched the fight into complete controversy. Why? Well, the 24-year-old started the action with a dangerous kick and found himself on top of the Irishman.

However, some time later, when Crosbie, who is Conor McGregor’s teammate, tried to stand up, the Chinese fighter delivered a huge illegal knee. This resulted in referee Marc Goddard making the call to stop the action. Even though it looked like the fight would end right there since Kiefer Crosbie was bleeding profusely from his nose, it didn’t.

The Irishman told the referee that he wanted to continue fighting. Godard then pulled the Chinese fighter in the middle of the octagon and deducted two points—another great call. Not long after, the fight was resumed, Nueraji scored another takedown and started attacking with vicious elbows.

Goddard stepped in again and stopped the fight, preventing Crosbie from taking unnecessary damage and potentially saving his career. The 35-year-old now finds himself in a weird spot, as his future in the promotion hangs in the balance. However, by what he said before the fight, he should land on his own two feet.

Kiefer Crosbie was inspired by his grandmother

Kiefer Crosbie credits much of his resilience and determination to the inspiration he drew from his grandmother. Growing up in Dublin, Crosbie watched his Nanny work tirelessly to raise a family under tough circumstances, and that example continues to fuel him in his fighting career. “It is the way I was raised. I was raised by my Nanny and my Ma. My Nanny had three jobs, four kids, and no husband. That is called hard work, that is called determination, that is called a superhero,” Crosbie said, per breaking news[dot]ie.

For him, stepping into the cage pales in comparison to the struggles his family endured. “What I do is I get to fight. It is not that hard. Compared to raising four kids and three jobs, right in the middle of the city centre in a flat, filled with drug users and drug abusers, that is hard.” Reflecting on their strength, Crosbie added, “Watching her determination and her will not to give up, and watching my Ma have the same mentality, nothing can break them. I am unbreakable.”

From the looks of things, Crosbie has a lot more hard work to put into his training. For now, his Chinese opponent will reap the benefits of a dominant win on Saturday night. What do you think the future holds for the Irishman?