UFC 188 was a decent card on its own, but it was still merely the bridge between the hyper-stacked UFC 187, which featured two big title bouts, and UFC 189, home to the most hyped fight in modern UFC history, Jose Aldo vs. Conor McGregor. The full card is as follows:
Main Card
- Jose Aldo vs. Conor McGregor
- Robbie Lawler vs. Rory MacDonald
- Dennis Bermudez vs. Jeremy Stephens
- Gunnar Nelson vs. John Hathaway
- Thomas Almeida vs. Brad Pickett
Preliminary Card (Fox Sports 1)
- Matt Brown vs. Tim Means
- Brandon Thatch vs. John Howard
- Mike Swick vs. Alex Garcia
- Cody Garbrandt vs. Henry Briones
Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass)
- Neil Seery vs. Louis Smolka
- Yosdenis Cedeno vs. Cody Pfister
The UFC is putting many, many eggs in the Aldo vs. McGregor basket, with a relatively weak supporting cast behind the featherweight title bout. That said, there is some intrigue to be found outside the main event…and Aldo vs. McGregor is a great basket.
The co-main event is an under-the-radar welterweight title fight between Robbie Lawler and Rory MacDonald, which has all of the technical brilliance of the headliner and none of the bluster. Also on the card are not one, not two, but three bouts showcasing talent poised to jump into the top 10.
So let’s take a look at the UFC 189 main card and break down the fights.