There was a ton of hype around UFC 189, both as a coronation for Conor McGregor as the company’s newest superstar and because this was one of the deepest cards of the year.
The event delivered on both fronts as one of the best events in recent memory, culminating in McGregor‘s thrilling second-round TKO of Chad Mendes to win the interim featherweight championship.
Even better for UFC from a business perspective, things line up perfectly for an epic showdown between McGregor and Jose Aldo later this year. There will be plenty of time to analyze that when it happens. For now, let’s see how McGregor was able to get his biggest win.
McGregor vs. Mendes Stats
There were two things to keep an eye on that would determine whether McGregor or Chad Mendes won the main event. McGregor‘s ability to throw a barrage of punches, combined with his big power, meant that wrestling-technician Mendes had to keep things on the canvas.
As it turns out, both fighters’ strengths showed up during this fight. Mendes hit McGregor with a knee and got him down early in the first round. It was the perfect setup for Money and the worst-case scenario for The Notorious One.
After that, though, everything that needed to go right for McGregor went right. The stats show that Mendes was more precise in his attack, but McGregor did what he always does by throwing a lot of punches.
Ben Fowlkes of MMAjunkie.com noted after the fight what made McGregor so difficult on this particular night:
Were the strikes that followed (after getting up from the takedown) especially powerful? Not really, said Mendes. What they were, was “accurate.” Like laser-guided missiles, it was one direct hit after another. Mendes, sucking air through his mouth, scanning the area for clear routes of retreat, found nothing but trouble everywhere he turned. Eventually the only path left was straight down.
McGregor can drive an opponent nuts because he doesn’t stop. There’s an endless stream of energy and punches that come from the 26-year-old as he tries to knock an opponent down. He was only in control of the fight for one minute and 40 seconds.
B/R’s Jonathan Snowden noted on Twitter that in terms of scoring things were not going McGregor‘s way:
Mendes was winning the early battle, but McGregor provided the big strikes that ultimately won the war.
This win also put an end to any talk that UFC had been building up McGregor by putting him in “easy” fights just to give him a title opportunity, which the new interim champion addressed after his victory, per ESPN.com’s Brett Okamoto.
“I have been hearing all the time that I’ve been protected to this point and gifted a title shot,” McGregor said. “So, when my title shot went running and I was given a shot at what I was supposedly being protected from, I was going to prove that I’m a true fighter.”
Now that McGregor is atop the mountain, he’s got to be better than ever to stay there. He’s not out of the woods yet because Aldo is waiting in the wings whenever the featherweight champion is able to return.
UFC was the real winner on Saturday night. The scene in Las Vegas all weekend, starting with the weigh-in and continuing to the end of the main event, was special. McGregor has been an All-Star talker leading up to the show and backed it up in dominating fashion.
Stats courtesy of UFC.com.
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