UFC 189: Notorious Moment Not Too Big for Conor McGregor

UFC 189 was indeed the Conor McGregor show.
Since its UFC existence, the featherweight division has remained in the peripheral of casual MMA fans. People may have heard about some guy named Jose Aldo competing in the weight class, but there was nothing…

UFC 189 was indeed the Conor McGregor show.

Since its UFC existence, the featherweight division has remained in the peripheral of casual MMA fans. People may have heard about some guy named Jose Aldo competing in the weight class, but there was nothing extraordinary happening at 145 pounds to urge fans to see for themselves.

Aldo, a UFC champion and the greatest featherweight of all time, failed to get people to buy in. But he wasn’t alone. Nearly every champion and top contender there has failed to reach superstar status. UFC Hall of Famer B.J. Penn and women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey have generally been the only exceptions.

For a long time, we often pondered whether size played a significant role in fans not being drawn to the lighter weight classes, despite two of the most recognized professional boxers in the world, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao, being sub-155 pounds.

But then McGregor arrived.

The exceptionally talented Irishman with a sharp tongue and expensive suits elevated himself to superstardom in two years. After only five fights in the UFC, he was already staring at a title shot against Aldo in one of the most heavily-promoted bouts in UFC history. It was a whirlwind of a ride for the 26-year-old McGregor, who carried the weight of the UFC and Ireland on his back heading into UFC 189.

In the absence of Jon Jones, Anderson Silva and Georges St-Pierre, McGregor became the most reliable horse in the stable. He had a special aura about him that commanded attention every time he picked up a microphone. Television show interviews, ESPN appearances and a world tour—The UFC gambled on McGregor being able to deliver the goods. And he delivered emphatically.

Beams of green light shot through the darkened arena at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Saturday night, as legendary music artist Sinead O’Connor did a live performance for McGregor’s entrance. It was a chilling moment that will stand the test of time in MMA. Never before has anything ever been witnessed on such a grand scale in the UFC.

Few human beings will ever feel the kind of pressure McGregor felt that night. An injury forced Aldo to pull out of the fight, and the UFC’s backup plan was an interim title fight with top featherweight contender Chad Mendes, a world-class wrestler whose only losses had come to Aldo. Mendes was the type of style opponent who could have unraveled everything.

But through it all, McGregor entered with the same swagger and confidence that expedited his rise to the top.

Even when he was taken down by Mendes and elbowed repeatedly, the Irish star never showed any cracks. According to Mendes at the post-fight press conference, McGregor’s response to the elbows during the fight was, “Is that all you got?”

McGregor eventually scrambled his way back to his feet, where he was able to impose his will on Mendes. A flicker of a jab and a hard left hand in the second round finally sent Mendes stumbling to the canvas. As McGregor casually strolled over to put the finishing touches on his handiwork, thousands in the arena celebrated the realization of a dream. Brought to tears, McGregor fell to his knees, forever humbled by the moment.

At the post-fight press conference, he put into perspective everything he’s sacrificed to get to this point:

“It overwhelmed me and I came to tears. It has been a hell of a ride, just over two years I’m here. I’ve already broke every single record in the game, and it does not come easy. Trust me when I tell you there’s a lot of work involved.

It’s not just about showing up at the gym. It’s not just about that. There’s a lot involved. I’ve been home 19 days this year, and I’ve been constantly working, constantly promoting, constantly handling my media obligations, as well as keeping on top of my weight, as well as keeping on top of my skill level, as well as managing niggling injuries. It’s a crazy game, and you know—I absolutely love it.”

Go home, champ. You’ve earned it.

 

Jordy McElroy is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He also is the MMA writer for FanRag Sports and co-founder of The MMA Bros.

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Twitter Reacts to Aldo Pulling Out, McGregor vs. Mendes for Interim Title

So much for that 100 percent confidence.
Merely hours ago, UFC President Dana White’s answer was “yes” when MMAFighting’s Ariel Helwani asked if he was 100 percent confident Jose Aldo would still defend his featherweight title a…

So much for that 100 percent confidence.

Merely hours ago, UFC President Dana White’s answer was “yes” when MMAFighting’s Ariel Helwani asked if he was 100 percent confident Jose Aldo would still defend his featherweight title against Conor McGregor at UFC 189.

Aldo had reportedly injured his ribs last week during a sparring session when he was kicked by a teammate. Initial reports from Combate, per MMAFighting.com, revealed that Aldo had fractured his ribs, putting the bout against McGregor in serious doubt.

However, the UFC released an official statement a day later, claiming Aldo’s ribs weren’t broken. According to the statement, Aldo’s official diagnosisfollowing a review of the CT scanswas a bone bruise and cartilage injury.

A contingency plan was mentioned to already be in place if Aldo was unable to compete on July 11. Chad Mendes was selected as the featherweight to take his place against McGregor in an interim title fight. Despite having a “Plan B,” the UFC seemed confident Aldo would still step up and take the fight.

When speaking with Helwani on Tuesday at the unveiling of the new Reebok uniforms, White was completely confident fight fans would get the bout they wanted to see:

Jose Aldo wants this fight. The injury that he has is the same injury [Donald] ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone just fought with. Cowboy Cerrone just fought with this injury. He got hit to the body, and he won the fight. Dan Henderson fought with this injury, and a lot of other fighters have fought with the same thing that Jose has right now.

Even UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta told Helwani he was “very confident” Aldo would still be fighting McGregor.

But the injury was too much for the 28-year-old featherweight champ to overcome. The UFC announced on Tuesday that Aldo had officially pulled out of his UFC 189 title fight with McGregor. The Irish challenger will now take on Mendes for the interim featherweight title.

MMA fighters and analysts wasted little time in posting their thoughts of the new UFC 189 main event on Twitter (Warning: NSFW Language).

 

Jordy McElroy is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He also is the MMA writer for FanRag Sports and co-founder of The MMA Bros.

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Dana White to Yoel Romero: ‘America Doesn’t Want to Hear Your Thoughts on Jesus’

In the Bill of Dana White, there must be a separation of church and fighting.
The UFC President spoke with MMAFighting’s Ariel Helwani at the unveiling of the new Reebok uniforms about Yoel Romero’s controversial post-fight comments on Satu…

In the Bill of Dana White, there must be a separation of church and fighting.

The UFC President spoke with MMAFighting’s Ariel Helwani at the unveiling of the new Reebok uniforms about Yoel Romero’s controversial post-fight comments on Saturday at UFC Fight Night 70.

If only for a moment, Romero endeared himself to fans by dusting off former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida. In the most impressive performance of his MMA career, he stopped Machida, a future Hall of Famer, in the third round with a bevy of elbows.

And then Romero—broken English and all—spoke on the microphone.

I expected to hear the typical heartfelt speech about overcoming obstacles, never giving up and the great potential for every dream to be realized. But apparently Romero was feeling froggy. Perhaps it was the extra adrenaline pumping through his veins after knocking out Machida. The Cuban Olympian used his time on the microphone to preach to the fans.

“Wake up USA. Go, go back for you. Go. Go for Jesus, not for gay Jesus people,” said Romero.

It initially seemed like Romero might be referencing the recent Supreme Court ruling in the United States, which legalized same-sex marriage throughout the country.

But at the post-fight press conference, through a Spanish interpreter, Romero claimed he was referencing his own happiness to be living the American dream. But none of that matters to White, who argued Romero shouldn’t have put himself in that position in the first place.

He told Helwani:

You just won the biggest fight of your career. America doesn’t want to hear your thoughts on Jesus. Keep that stuff at home—religion, politics, all that stuff. When you’re out there fighting and you’re being interviewed, they want to hear about the fight. …Love Jesus all you want. You just don’t have to do it publicly.

Romero apologized for any misunderstanding at the post-fight press conference.

There is more power in words than the sharpest of elbows. To think, we could be talking about how Romero knocked out a former UFC champion and elevated himself into title contention, but instead, we are dissecting comments made in an interview.  

 

Jordy McElroy is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He also is the MMA writer for FanRag Sports and co-founder of The MMA Bros.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Jose Aldo Expected to Train Tuesday, Make a Decision on Conor McGregor Fight

Judgment day could come on Tuesday for Jose Aldo vs. Conor McGregor.
Aldo is expected to train and make a final decision on whether he’ll defend his UFC featherweight title against McGregor over a week from now at UFC 189.
The reigning UFC feathe…

Judgment day could come on Tuesday for Jose Aldo vs. Conor McGregor.

Aldo is expected to train and make a final decision on whether he’ll defend his UFC featherweight title against McGregor over a week from now at UFC 189.

The reigning UFC featherweight champion injured his ribs during a sparring session nearly a week ago. Initial reports from Brazilian doctors were that Aldo had suffered a fractured rib, which would likely knock him out of the highly anticipated championship bout.

However, a second opinion from American doctors revealed Aldo’s rib wasn’t fractured. It was a bone bruise and cartilage injury, proving once again that Uncle Dana knows best.

Two-division Jungle fight champion Jonas Bilharinho, Aldo’s training partner, told Ariel Helwani during an appearance on The MMA Hour that a final decision could be made on Tuesday:

I think he will probably fight. And I hope so. I will be with him on Tuesday to see what he’s capable of doing during training or not, but my opinion right now is that he’s going to fight. I’m going to be optimistic about it because Aldo wants this fight so bad. I think this fight will probably happen.

Bilharinho, who was brought into Aldo’s camp to mimic the awkward style of McGregor, called Tuesday the “big day.”

The UFC has already revealed its contingency plan if Aldo is unable to compete next Saturday night. Top featherweight contender Chad Mendes has been alerted to be on standby to step in as a late replacement for an interim title fight against McGregor, depending on Aldo’s health.

But as of now, Aldo is still set to defend to his throne at UFC 189.

 

Jordy McElroy is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He also is theMMA writer for FanRag Sports and co-founder of The MMA Bros.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

New Mexico District Attorney Lacks Key Evidence in Jon Jones Case

Prosecutors plan on taking the Jon Jones case to a grand jury.
The former UFC light heavyweight champion was arrested in April on a felony charge for a hit-and-run incident in Albuquerque.
MMAFighting’s Marc Raimondi reported that, after running …

Prosecutors plan on taking the Jon Jones case to a grand jury.

The former UFC light heavyweight champion was arrested in April on a felony charge for a hit-and-run incident in Albuquerque.

MMAFighting’s Marc Raimondi reported that, after running a red light, Jones ran his rental vehicle into two other vehicles, causing a three-car pileup.

Vanessa Sonnenberg, a 25-year-old pregnant woman, sustained a fractured arm in the crash.

Jones reportedly ran to his vehicle to grab a handful of cash before fleeing from the scene on foot. Authorities found marijuana inside of a marijuana pipe in the vehicle. A day later, Jones turned himself in after a warrant was issued for his arrest.

He made bail a few hours later.

The district attorney presiding over Jones’ case was given 60 days to decide whether to indict, but the set deadline for that decision expired on Monday.

According to the public information officer for the Bernalillo County District Attorney, per MMAjunkie.com, the prosecutor is missing two pieces of key evidence needed before the case can be brought in front of a grand jury: dispatch reports from the Albuquerque Police Department and Sonnenberg’s medical records.

Kayla Anderson, the public information officer, claimed that without the two pieces of evidence, the case could be dismissed altogether. Despite the expiration of the 60-day deadline, prosecutors still have room to press charges against Jones.

“Proceeding on a case without complete discovery could result in the likely dismissal of the case altogether,” said Anderson. “We have requested both pieces of outstanding evidence and anticipate moving forward when we have a completed case investigation.”

After being arrested, Jones was stripped of the UFC title and suspended indefinitely. Mike Winkeljohn, Jones’ coach, recently told Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour that Jones might never fight again. He is currently focused on helping those around him train and get better.  

 

Jordy McElroy is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He also is the MMA writer for FanRag Sports and co-founder of The MMA Bros.

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Ken Shamrock Swears Kimbo Fight Wasn’t Fixed, Calls Out Joe Rogan

Weeks before Ken Shamrock was left plastered on the canvas like roadkill, the word in the MMA community was that the 51-year-old UFC Hall of Famer had no business being in the cage with Kimbo Slice, a 41-year-old street fighter turned MMA fighter.
It w…

Weeks before Ken Shamrock was left plastered on the canvas like roadkill, the word in the MMA community was that the 51-year-old UFC Hall of Famer had no business being in the cage with Kimbo Slice, a 41-year-old street fighter turned MMA fighter.

It was the senior-citizen brawl that no one really wanted to see. Yet the fight smashed Bellator’s ratings record by 27 percent, according to MMA Fighting’s Dave Meltzer.

Oh, the hypocrisy.

After spending several years “hidden under the f–cking porch somewhere,” as UFC President Dana White would say (warning: video contains profanity), Shamrock emerged back in the mainstream spotlight by agreeing to fight Slice in a fight that should have happened back in 2008.

You all know the story by now. Shamrock somehow managed to cut his eye during warm-ups, and Seth Petruzelli Kimbo-bombed the EliteXC off the map.

Seven years later, fans were equally as eager to see Slice lock horns with “The World’s Most Dangerous Man.” The pre-fight hype was magical from a pure promotional perspective. Age might have taken away his speed and timing, but nothing had taken away Shamrock’s ability to promote.

And then the fight happened.

Hardly any punches were thrown, aside from Kimbo’s right hand that dropped Shamrock in the first round. Shamrock even missed on a routine rear-naked choke attempt—hooks in and all—after securing one of the easiest takedowns in MMA history.

So the 51-year-old fighter who wasn’t supposed to be in the same ring with Kimbo became the face of controversy for not putting up a decent fight. The circus bout that everyone penned as atrocious leading in became the subject of ridicule when it actually was atrocious.

According to UFC commentator Joe Rogan, when speaking on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast (warning: video contains profanity), the fight “looked fake as f–k.”

Speaking with Submission Radio, Shamrock swore on everything that the fight wasn’t fixed. He simply admitted he made a mistake, and Kimbo made him pay for it. As for Rogan, Shamrock claimed the commentator’s words could have ruined his career:

Being in a professional position, you have the people’s ear. You have a responsibility to make sure whatever you say you can back up, that you can prove and not just say it because you think it. Because you ruin people’s lives on something that you have no proof, and (Rogan’s) wrong in what he’s saying. He could have ruined my career and my life on what he’s saying.

Rogan wasn’t the only person to deem Shamrock’s performance scripted.

UFC heavyweight Brendan Schaub, who appeared alongside Rogan on the podcast show, was also suspicious of the fight. Fox Sports 1’s Katie Nolan, the host of Garbage Time, accused Shamrock of taking a “dive” while live-tweeting during the event:

Amid a cloud of suspicion, Shamrock vehemently asserted the fight was not fixed in any shape or form: “I swear on everything that I love—my family, my God, everything that I love—that fight was not fixed. And the people that are saying it are saying it because they’re angry or they lost a bet in Vegas or they’re just trying to be hurtful.”

Imagine losing a massive bet after Shamrock missed that rear-naked choke attempt. I guess I’d feel salty, too.  

 

Jordy McElroy is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He also is the MMA writer for FanRag Sports and co-founder of The MMA Bros.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com