Irishman Dylan Tuke moves closer to the UFC after overcoming frantic first round

Dylan Tuke is edging ever closer to the doors of the UFC.

The Irish have been taking the MMA world by storm recently, with Straight Blast Gym's Conor McGregor helping bring the sport into the mainstream while his teammate James Kavanagh has been tearing things up in Bellator. So Dylan Tuke is just the next in line for SBG as after bursting on to the professional scene last September when he went 2-0 in Dublin's 3Arena in February as he stopped Mark Andrew within a minute. The SBG prospect took his talents on the road this weekend as he headlined Shinobi FC 8 in Liverpool. And for the first time in his exciting young career, 'The Nuke' had to battle through some resistance as opponent and crowd favourite Adam Ventre gave him a war in the first round on Merseyside. Tuke found himself rocked badly by Ventre on more than one occasion in the opening round but displayed an absurdly robust chin and toughness to survive. And with the zero on his record in serious jeopardy, Tuke dug deep to sink in a picture-perfect rear naked choke - the same move that Nate Diaz used on Conor McGreogor - in the second round and move to 3-0. https://twitter.com/Jolassanda/status/759526187811139585

And while the submission was impressive enough, it was the heart of Tuke that left most fans in awe.

https://twitter.com/orlaghhunter/status/759524876285677568 https://twitter.com/BenCartlidgeMMA/status/759527037895839744 https://twitter.com/John_Kavanagh/status/759527487827087360 https://twitter.com/Paulkb90/status/759524640565891078 https://twitter.com/CombatDocket/status/759525138299756544 https://twitter.com/joeylawless/status/759525362271485952 https://twitter.com/IanLFC22/status/759525635882639361 https://twitter.com/Munners_/status/759525779764027392 https://twitter.com/HodgeSAFC/status/759526437883899904 https://twitter.com/keithd1988/status/759526590023884801 https://twitter.com/Spydermonkeymma/status/759530252146208768 Want to win a free TV or iPad? Enter the draw to win one by taking part in this quick survey.