Maybe you’ve heard a little something about this Conor McGregor.
Since he broke into the UFC two years ago, the Irishman’s fights have quickly become appointment television. Ditto his interviews; if there’s a better talker in MMA right now than McGregor, I have no idea who it is.
Contrary to some sentiment that McGregor is an empty shell of hype, the guy can really fight. He has a deep gas tank and a brilliant array of striking attacks, which he strings together in creative ways. At the end of it all is a lethal left hand that has had a starring role in 13 of his knockouts as a pro.
That said, hype certainly plays a big role in his profile, and it all came to a raging boil Saturday night in Las Vegas, which became Dublin West when McGregor took on Chad Mendes for the interim featherweight belt.
It was a shame that Jose Aldo broke his rib and had to withdraw from this fight. But the lineal champ will have his day, and in the meantime, Mendes and his power wrestling game made for a more than worthy challenge for McGregor.
But there was a lot more to this card than just McGregor and Mendes. In the co-main event, Rory MacDonald challenged Robbie Lawler for the welterweight title. And the card went deep, too, with seven of the evening’s 11 contests arguably having some kind of immediate implication for the UFC’s collective title picture.
As always, the final stat lines only reveal so much. These are the real winners and losers from UFC 189.
And if you’re one of those literal-minded folks, full results appear on the final slide.