Patrick Holohan (born 3 May 1988) is an Irish politician and retired

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorp ...

who notably competed in the

flyweight Flyweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing above 49 kg (108 lb) and up to 51 kg (112 lb). Professional boxing The flyweight division was the last of bo ...

division of the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

. A professional MMA competitor from 2007 until his retirement in 2016, Holohan also competed for the promotion

Cage Contender Cage Contender is a European mixed martial arts promotion owned and operated by Belfast based Ferguson Sports Group LTD. History The creation of Irish sports promoter John Ferguson, Cage Contender began as a knockout style tournament to be ...

and was a competitor on

The Ultimate Fighter 18 ''The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rousey vs. Team Tate'' (also known as ''The Ultimate Fighter 18'') is the eighteenth U.S.-based installment of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)-produced reality television series ''The Ultimate Fighter''. Th ...

Early and personal life

Holohan's mother was placed in a

Magdalene Laundry Magdalene asylums, also known as Magdalene laundries, were initially Protestant but later mostly Roman Catholic institutions that operated from the 18th to the late 20th centuries, ostensibly to house " fallen women". The term referred to fema ...

before he was born following the loss of two previous children. For part of his childhood Holohan resided with a maternal aunt in

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

. During this time Holohan experienced the final years of

the Troubles The Troubles ( ga, Na Trioblóidí) were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it is sometimes described as an "i ...

. Holohan's maternal grandfather was his father figure; his grandfather was a member of the

Defence Forces The phrase Defence Force(s) (or Defense Force(s) in US English - see spelling differences) is in the title of the armed forces of certain countries and territories. Defence forces * Ambazonia Defence Forces *Artsakh Defence Army * Australian Defen ...

and Holohan credits his grandfather with instilling in him discipline and morality. Holohan became a father at age 19. He has two sons and two daughters. His eldest son is named Tiernan, after the Irish comedian

Tommy Tiernan Tommy Tiernan (; born 16 June 1969) is an Irish comedian, actor, and writer. He is best known for hosting ''The Tommy Tiernan Show'' (2017–present) and playing Gerry in the sitcom ''Derry Girls'' (2018–2022). Early life Tiernan was born in ...

, whom Holohan credits with keeping his morale up during tough periods in his life. His son Séamus Patrick was born in 2018 and daughter Féile Éireann in 2021 and Ceóla Laragh in 2022 with his long term partner Chelsea Hudson. The pair run their successful martial arts academy together Holohan Martial Arts. Holohan released an autobiography, ''Hooligan'', in 2019.

Mixed martial arts career

After a successful career in Ireland where he compiled an undefeated 9-0-1 record, it was revealed in August 2013 that Holohan was selected to be a participant on

. He faced Josh Hill for his fight to get in the house. Holohan was repeatedly taken down and had no answer for the top game of Hill and ended up losing by decision. Holohan made his official promotional debut in the

against

Josh Sampo Joshua Ashley Sampo (born July 24, 1984) is an American mixed martial artist who most recently competed in Ultimate Fighting Championship's flyweight division. Mixed martial arts career Early career Sampo started his professional career in 2009 ...

on 19 July 2014 at

UFC Fight Night 46 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

. Holohan won the fight via a rear-naked choke submission midway through the first round. He was scheduled to face

Louis Gaudinot Louis J. Gaudinot (born August 28, 1984) is an American professional mixed martial artist who formerly competed in the UFC's Flyweight division. A professional competitor since 2009, Gaudinot has also formerly competed on Spike TV's The Ultimat ...

on 4 October 2014 at

UFC Fight Night 54 ''UFC Fight Night: MacDonald vs. Saffiedine'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 54'') was a mixed martial arts event held at the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada on October 4, 2014. Background This event was the first event the UF ...

. However, Gaudinot pulled out of the bout due to injury and was replaced by promotional newcomer Chris Kelades. Holohan lost the fight via unanimous decision. The performance earned both participants ''Fight of the Night'' honours. Holohan faced

Shane Howell Shane Howell (born November 28, 1983), is an American mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional MMA competitor since 2007, Howell has also competed for the promot ...

on 18 January 2015, at

UFC Fight Night 59 ''UFC Fight Night: McGregor vs. Siver'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 59'') was a mixed martial arts event held on January 18, 2015, at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. Background The event was headlined by a featherweight bout between ...

. He won via unanimous decision. He returned to the cage on 18 July 2015, to face Vaughan Lee on 18 July 2015 at

UFC Fight Night 72 ''UFC Fight Night: Bisping vs. Leites'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 72'') was a mixed martial arts event held on 18 July 2015 at the OVO Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland. Background After previously hosting 15 events at various locations around ...

. He won via unanimous decision. Holohan next fought

Louis Smolka Louis Smolka (born July 16, 1991) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the bantamweight division. A professional competitor since 2010, he has previously fought for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, California Xtreme Fighting, Kin ...

on 24 October 2015 at

UFC Fight Night 76 ''UFC Fight Night: Holohan vs. Smolka'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 76'') was a mixed martial arts event held on October 24, 2015, at 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland. Background The event was the third that the organization has hosted in Dublin, ...

. Holohan lost by second round submission after taking a series of shots and then giving up his back, opening a window for Smolka to lock in the rear naked choke for the victory. Holohan was expected to face

Willie Gates Willie Gates (born January 21, 1987) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Flyweight division. A professional competitor since 2008, he has competed for the UFC, King of the Cage, Tachi Palace Fights, and Bellator MMA. ...

on 8 May 2016 at

UFC Fight Night 87 ''UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Arlovski'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 87'') was a mixed martial arts event held on May 8, 2016, at the Rotterdam Ahoy in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Background The event was the first that the organization hosted ...

. However, on 25 April, he abruptly announced his retirement, citing Factor XIII deficiency, a rare blood disorder. He was replaced on the card by Yuta Sasaki.

Political career

Holohan was elected to

South Dublin County Council South Dublin County Council ( ga, Comhairle Contae Átha Cliath Theas) is the authority responsible for local government in the county of South Dublin, Ireland. It is one of three local authorities created by the Local Government (Dublin) Act ...

for

Sinn Féin Sinn Féin ( , ; en, " eOurselves") is an Irish republican and democratic socialist political party active throughout both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The original Sinn Féin organisation was founded in 1905 by Arthur Gri ...

at the 2019 local elections in May 2019.

Podcast controversies

In a 7 January 2020 episode of "Paddy Holohan's No Shame Podcast", Holohan criticised the Taoiseach

Leo Varadkar Leo Eric Varadkar ( ; born 18 January 1979) is an Irish politician who has served as Taoiseach since December 2022, and previously from 2017 to 2020. He served as Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment from June 2020 to De ...

over his party's intention to commemorate the

Black and Tans Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have ...

. Holohan accused Varadkar of not understanding the society of Ireland and the history of Ireland, and of being detached from the classes of Ireland, due to his father and grandfather's Indian ethnicity. Holohan stated that when he was growing up, he was raised on stories by his own grandfather about the history of Ireland, and said that Varadkar would have instead been raised "on stories of the rebellion in India, in the idea of fighting the English there, and

Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

and all these other stories." He also stated he would like the leader of the country to be a "family man," and to know "what it is like to have kids," in reference to Varadkar's homosexuality. On 16 January, as the

2020 Irish general election The 2020 Irish general election took place on Saturday 8 February, to elect the 33rd Dáil, the lower house of Ireland's parliament. The election was called following the dissolution of the 32nd Dáil by the president, at the request of the Ta ...

campaign was underway, Holohan was called upon by his party to apologize for his remarks. He issued an apology later the same day. In response, Varadkar accepted the apology, stating "I understand that he has apologised in the last few hours and you know that’s good enough for me." Sinn Féin party leader

Mary Lou McDonald Mary Louise McDonald (born 1 May 1969) is an Irish politician who has served as Leader of the Opposition in Ireland since June 2020 and President of Sinn Féin since February 2018. She has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin Central const ...

also stated that she was satisfied with the apology and there would be no further action needed. On 17 January, it emerged that Holohan had previously made comments on his podcast regarding the alleged use of sexual extortion by underage girls, whereby he claimed he had been told that teenage girls were deliberately targeting men, engaging in sexual relationships and recording evidence of same, and then threatening them with extortion of up to €10,000. Mary Lou McDonald described the comments as “beyond offensive, I actually find them upsetting”. She announced that “I have moved immediately to the party’s disciplinary procedures, and disciplinary action will be taken”. Sinn Féin announced that afternoon that Holohan had been suspended from the party and was to face disciplinary procedures.

Nomination for Mayor of South Dublin

On 26 June 2020 it was announced that Holohan's suspension from Sinn Féin had been recently lifted and he had been reinstated to the party. The same day as his suspension was lifted, he was nominated for the position of Mayor of South Dublin by members of South Dublin County Council, but was not elected. Sinn Féin were criticised for allowing the nomination to occur, and senior figures in the party such as

Pearse Doherty Pearse Daniel Doherty (born 6 July 1977) is an Irish Sinn Féin politician who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Donegal constituency since the 2016 general election, and previously a TD for the Donegal South-West constituency from 2010 to ...

and Eoin O'Broin called Holohan's nomination "regrettable" and "wrong". On 6 July Sinn Féin suspended their entire South West Dublin organisation as a result of the Holohan nomination, a suspension that will remain until an internal review on the nomination is completed.

Second disciplinary action and departure from Sinn Féin

In March 2021, Sinn Féin once again took disciplinary action against Holohan after Holohan refused a request to take down a Facebook post supporting a salon owner who reopened in breach of COVID-19 restrictions. Pearse Doherty explained the situation to the Irish Independent's ''Floating Voter'' podcast: "This fella made a comment, we told him that comment isn’t in keeping with the party’s view, we told him to withdraw it, he isn’t doing so, there’s a disciplinary procedure, the party will deal with that”. Later that month, it was revealed that Holohan had chosen not to renew his party membership and was now an independent councillor.

Championships and accomplishments

** Fight of the Night (One time) vs. Chris Kelades

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 12–2–1 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC Fight Night: Holohan vs. Smolka , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:29 ,

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

, Ireland , , - , Win , align=center, 12–1–1 , Vaughan Lee , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Bisping vs. Leites , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

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, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: McGregor vs. Siver , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, Massachusetts, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–1–1 , Chris Kelades , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: MacDonald vs. Saffiedine , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, Northern Ireland , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0–1 , Neil McGuigan , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Chaos FC 9 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:46 ,

Derry Derry, officially Londonderry (), is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fifth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The name ''Derry'' is an anglicisation of the Old Irish name (modern Irish: ) meaning 'oak grove'. The ...

, Northern Ireland , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0–1 , Steve McCombe , Decision (unanimous) , Cage Contender 8 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, Northern Ireland , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Andreas Lovbrand , Submission (triangle kimura) , KO – The Fight Before Christmas 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:03 ,

, Ireland , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Milan Kovach , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Cage Contender 5 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:58 ,

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Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...

, France , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Shane Bane , Submission (triangle choke) , ROT7 – The Next Level , , align=center, 2 , align=center, N/A ,

, Ireland ,

Mixed martial arts exhibition record

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Holohan, Patrick 1988 births Living people Bantamweight mixed martial artists Flyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Irish male mixed martial artists Irish practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Irish sportsperson-politicians Politicians from Dublin (city) Sportspeople from Dublin (city) Local councillors in South Dublin (county) Sinn Féin politicians