The last time Zak Cummings competed around these parts it didn’t go so great for him. At UFC Dublin in July 2014 the Texan was on the other side of the ‘Irish Takeover’, submitting to Gunnar Nelson in the second round on that fateful night inside The O2 in Dublin.

This time around in Belfast, things went more his way. Cummings locked in a straight armbar towards the end of the second round in his contest with Alexander Yakovlev, ensuring that his visit up north will have happier memories than his bout in Dublin with Gunnar Nelson two years ago.

“I felt like I was winning the fight with Gunnar”, Cummings said to TheMacLife.com. “He landed a solid shot that broke my orbital. I was having issues seeing. I figured if I can’t see him very well and I’m winning the stand-up war, let’s make it a grappling match. Gunnar Nelson is not the best person to do that too.

“He bested me that night, but that’s okay. The fans here are ridiculous; they’re so loud. The chant out there was so cool to hear. I love coming overseas and fighting for the European fans. It was awesome.”

You can watch the full interview with Zak Cummings below.