Las Vegas, NV — Ten years in making is how Francis Marshall put earning a spot in the UFC as part of Dana White’s Contender Series on Tuesday.
Featherweight Marshall was part of the only fight, with Connor Matthews, that went the distance on Tuesday. He walked away with the unanimous decision win after coming close to finishing the bout on the feet several times.
“Obviously I would have liked the finish better,” Marshall (6-0) said following the victory, speaking to media outlets including Cageside Press, “but the three rounds I think just showed I have a good gas tank, I could push for three rounds and get the 15 minutes in. I was happy with the performance.”
Admittedly, Marshall was a bit worried that Dana White would only be looking for finishes. Especially following a week where, during the season opener, the UFC President awarded just one UFC contract.
“Yeah of course I was a little concerned with that, like hopefully he doesn’t count me out because it wasn’t a finish,” Marhsall stated. “There’s four other finishes on the card, I was the only decision. But I think the performance overall spoke for itself, so I think he saw that and realized what could come in the future.”
To date, Marshall, who also works as a fireman, has never had a nickname. During the event Tuesday, Michael Bisping and Laura Sanko pushed Francis “Fire” Marshall, noting how well it worked.
“I never had a nickname, so this is the first one they kind of gave me. So we’ll see if it sticks a little bit,” Marhsall stated when asked about the moniker backstage. “I’m not opposed to it, it’s not bad. It flows a little bit I guess.”
Watch the full Dana White’s Contender Series 48 post-fight press scrum with Francis Marshall above.
