UFC 189 felt doomed for a while there on Saturday.
For hours on end, the card was defined by dreadfully boring, mid-level fighters. Sure, there were some flashes of entertainment and skill, courtesy of some slick groundwork by up-and-coming flyweight Louis Smolka. By and large, however, it was average fighters putting on below-average fights.
Then came the main card. Thomas Almeida decapitated Brad Pickett with a flying knee in a scrappy affair. Gunnar Nelson made quick work of Brandon Thatch, rekindling discussion of his contender status.
Then came the top three fights on the card. The once-pristine canvas that the UFC had been using as a projector screen became a bloody mess after Jeremy Stephens’ win over Dennis Bermudez, Robbie Lawler’s title defense over Rory MacDonald and the main event bout between Conor McGregor and Chad Mendes.
All three fights wound up being horribly, terribly colorful affairs.
While the stakes weren’t quite as high as they could have been in Stephens vs. Bermudez, it was likely the best fight on the card. Stephens is known for his ability to deliver exciting fights, and his plod-forward-and-throw-haymakers style lends itself well to getting post-fight bonus checks.
Bermudez made him pay for that aggression in the early goings, clobbering him with punches and giving him a legitimate “crimson mask” in the first round. Stephens would rally back, however, and turned the fight into an absolute slobberknocker. In the third round, he landed a picture-perfect flying knee that clocked Bermudez, and he would then pound out the victory.
Next up was the welterweight title fight, and while I’m fairly certain that lining gloves with barbed wire is illegal, every punch seemed to result in a cut.
Lawler’s lips were split wide open. MacDonald’s nose was smashed. Both men were swollen beyond recognition. The two would meet up afterward at the hospital and snapped a quick photo sporting their soon-to-be-scars.
While McGregor didn’t (literally) leave much of himself in the cage, he walked out of the cage worse for wear. Mendes repeatedly took him down and pummeled him with elbows, mashing him up and splitting his eyebrow. McGregor, however, would battle back and utilize his superior striking to earn a buzzer-beating Round 2 TKO win.
There is a lot to look forward to upon exiting this card. Here’s hoping all parties can heal up quickly.
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