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UFC 189 Main Card Is the Greatest of All Time

UFC 189 was touted as the biggest card in the history of the UFC by President Dana White. It was one that was resting on the intense, brash shoulders of Conor McGregor, who not only drew droves of crowds and views but also the intrigue of hardcore and …

When it was all said and done Saturday night and the dust settled, UFC 189 went down as the greatest main card of all time in the company’s history.

This is a big assertion, but consider everything that went down pre-fight and when the combatants actually mixed it up. Everything went right, leading to an excess of fun and suspense.

There was a ton of intrigue when the card was first announced. Two title fights headlined the proceedings, with the top billing going to the ultimate grudge match between UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo and popular challenger Conor McGregor.

The UFC built the fight up and invested money into it that it really hasn’t ever done before. This was done with Aldo, who has not been the biggest box0office success as UFC champion, and McGregor, a rapidly rising star who had begun to build a following with his finishing ability and memorable trash talk.

Anticipation built, and fans eagerly awaited the card. The problem? Aldo dropped out with an injury, seemingly killing all the steam the UFC had built up for the event.

Enter Chad Mendes.

The biggest question mark on McGregor was his wrestling ability, and many fans were quick to assert that the UFC was protecting the Irishman from the many wrestlers in the featherweight division. They would finally get their wish when White announced Mendes as McGregor‘s new opponent in the main event.

Basically, the show must go on. It did, and boy, are we lucky that UFC 189 stayed the course, because it became the best main card ever done by the UFC.

Things started off rocky in terms of excitement on the undercard. Every prelim, minus Matt Brown vs. Tim Means, went to decisions, and most of the fights were not exactly barnburners.

For example, Cathal Pendred vs. John Howard made a Ben Askren Bellator performance look like Dan Henderson vs. Mauricio Rua I.

It just seemed like a bad way to build momentum toward the main card. Luckily, Brown vs. Means was the final undercard bout, and it was exciting, featured a finish and brought back steam going into the main card.

So what did the main card feature? Well, in examining it, it featured a Knockout of the Year, two Fight of the Year candidates and the coronation of a new champion.

The card kicked off with Thomas Almeida vs. Brad Pickett. It represented the young blood vs. the old guard, and it was a slobberknocker all the way till the finish.

Pickett wrecked Almeida early, and the Brazilian wrecked the Brit in response. The second round was young in this fun bout when Almeida scored a possible Knockout of the Year, landing one of the cleanest flying knee knockouts in the history of MMA.

That was a great start for the main card.

Continuing the trend of finishes, two welterweights with bright futures looked to steal some spotlight for themselves, and when it was all said and done, Gunnar Nelson took back a ton of the hype he had lost.

Considered the lesser of the two strikers against Brandon Thatch, Nelson dropped his opponent with a two-punch combination and slickly made short work of Thatch on the ground, choking him out in quick fashion.

Continuing on, the featherweights fought, and although it was at a catchweight because Jeremy Stephens failed to hit his mark on the scale against Dennis Bermudez, it didn’t affect the quality of the fight.

It was a back-and-forth slugfest. Bermudez hammered Stephens and looked to secure takedowns. Stephens defended those shots well and tapped Bermudez‘s chin with extreme prejudice.

It was on its way to being Fight of the Year and was capped off with a brutal knockout. Stephens landed a flush flying knee and finished Bermudez on the mat with punches in an intense finish.

It was Fight of the Year for all of one fight, because Rory MacDonald and Robbie Lawler stole the show.

After a lackluster first round, these two warriors fought four rounds of raucous, violent, bloody combat that had fans in awe and most of them at the edge of their seat. Both men almost finished each other multiple times and likely took years off their careers in an attempt to be considered the best welterweight in the world.

Then the main course came around. The production value was amazing, with live performances by Sinead O’Connor and Aaron Lewis, as well as insane graphics and wild fans cheering their hero and booing his counterpart.

The cage door closed, and it was on. McGregor tagged Mendes early. Money responded with powerful takedowns.

For a while, it appeared the American wrestler would expose the UFC’s cash cow, who was repeatedly taken down.

That changed with a scramble, some fatigue and some pinpoint strikes that beat the buzzer.

McGregor proved too much for Mendes on the feet, and at the end of Round 2, the Irishman got off his back and finished Mendes before the bell.

One of the top stars in the UFC had proved himself and silenced detractors who believed he couldn’t hang with a wrestler. It was truly the best way to cap off the best, most exciting main card in UFC history. It will bring in more money for the company, which can now book the anticipated McGregor-Aldo matchup.

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A Flame of Pure Irish Fire: Conor McGregor Is Exactly What He Claimed to Be

He came to Las Vegas and UFC 189 with the strength of a nation, as thousands of Irishmen joined him on the Strip for a weekend no one will soon forget. For new UFC interim featherweight champion Conor McGregor, Saturday night was going to be a raucous …

A thunderous left hand made sure all the tears were joyful, sending opponent Chad Mendes turtling to the mat and ushering in a new era—or perhaps a new Eire.

Aging pop star Sinead O’Connor set the tone, with her version of the classic ballad The Foggy Dew reminding everyone from the Emerald Isle of the contest’s stakes. McGregor, more than any other fighter in UFC history, wasn’t fighting for himself alone—he represented the Irish, as he was propelled by their power but also burdened by their weight.

It’s an old romance, that between the people and their amorous cavalier. Patriotism, pride and ancient ethnic enmity have long powered combat sports. In fact, British boxer Ricky Hatton had been in McGregor’s shoes in the very same building— but his barbarous hordes and all their heraldries could do little to help him against Floyd Mayweather Jr.

But McGregor is no Hatton. And Mendes, despite sharing a nickname, is no Mayweather.

Whippet thin but healthy, McGregor emerged Saturday a far cry from the man who appeared the day before at the weigh-in meager, barefoot and wan. Confidence was his game, a swagger powered by defiance, hate and scorn—a serpent in man’s form.

Mendes, as many expected, provided the test that had to eventually come. With just two weeks to train, the former All-American remained a sleeping dragon with a ready shield. He landed early, with hard punches and easy takedowns. McGregor took it in stride, with his iron chin putting doubt into the wrestler’s eyes and no doubt fear into his heart.

McGregor, it turned out, is susceptible to the takedown, a kryptonite that also plagued UFC legend Anderson Silva. His stance, legs spread impossibly far apart, makes him easy game for a powerful wrestler. But, like Silva, he was calm on his back, even in the face of serious firepower, throwing elbows of his own from the bottom and delivering a harsh penance whenever he eventually returned to his feet.

The best you could say for McGregor, through most of two rounds, was that he was a survivor, a tough guy who ate Mendes’ best shots but couldn’t defend his best shots—a flawed fighter who needed some time back at the drawing board.

“Make no mistake, Mendes was winning the fight,” Fox Sports analyst Kenny Florian said after the bout. “He was doing unbelievable in the fight.”

But though he was winning on all three judges’ scorecards, Mendes looked for a finish early, trying to secure a guillotine choke rather than secure his position when McGregor attempted to escape to his feet late in the second round.

Whether it was his short training camp, McGregor’s vicious body kicks or both, Mendes looked spent. With three long rounds looming, perhaps the dream of early victory seemed preferable to the grind of dealing with McGregor’s power for 15 more minutes.

It was a fatal mistake. A reinvigorated McGregor creased the right side of Mendes’ face—“the soft part” as he likes to say—with a left hand that dropped Money to the mat. McGregor’s is an unmatched dedication to the kill, to ensuring victory with a fighter’s best tools—his fists.

“I’m overwhelmed,” McGregor said after the fight. “When I stopped my opponent I jumped up on the cage I was so excited. I’m blown away. I put a lot of work into this. It came out of me after the fight. The buildup to this, the up and down, it was a lot of work. I’m just blown away.”

The MGM Grand Garden Arena exploded in the pure joy; it emitted a festive clarion of triumph. But the boisterous din must eventually abate, and McGregor must eventually face an even more daunting task—the one who originally brought him to Las Vegas in the first place.

Longtime champion Jose Aldo looms.

“Jose Aldo is a little more nervous right now,” UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier said on Fox Sports 1 after the fight. “I’m picking McGregor in any stand-up fight he gets now, and all wrestlers are scared of him now.”

When the fight finally occurs, it will be bigger than ever. A huge crowd of 16,019 fans crowded the arena for this bout, drawing an American MMA record gate of $7.2 million. After months of buildup, a world tour and McGregor’s emergence as the true, rightful top contender, the fight might actually end up being exactly what UFC President Dana White promised it would be: the biggest fight in UFC history.

The key to it all is McGregor. The trash talk and his motor mouth delivered him to this stage. But it is incredible power and his power of will that will keep him here. Yes, he’s beatable. Mendes showed cracks in his armor, but it will require 25 minutes of perfection and discipline to take advantage of them.

When McGregor hits people, they stay hit. It’s a rare power that cures many ills and guarantees he’s always in the fight, even when his opponent appears to be winning. This combination of vulnerability and fearsome ability is the golden ticket to box-office riches.

None of this will come as a surprise to his legions of fans. But even his critics can no longer deny the obvious—McGregor is for real.

Jonathan Snowden covers combat sports for Bleacher Report.

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Mendes vs. McGregor: Results, Highlights and Post-Fight Comments from UFC 189

Conor McGregor’s meteoric rise through the Ultimate Fighting Championship entered new speeds on Saturday after he defeated Chad Mendes with a second-round stoppage at UFC 189 to clinch the interim UFC featherweight title.
Fans of the Irishman turn…

Fans of the Irishman turned out in droves at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand as McGregor finally took his place on the throne he’s been seeking for so long.

Robbie Lawler defeated Rory MacDonald to retain his UFC Welterweight Championship in the co-main event. It was a bloody brawl that will undoubtedly contend for 2015’s Fight of the Year and potentially bigger plaudits.

Here’s a look at all the results from Saturday’s main card:

Warning: Some videos herein contain language NSFW.

Jose Aldo may have been the target McGregor was searching for, but Mendes nevertheless made for an entertaining opponent in what proved to be the uncomfortable juxtaposition of styles that was anticipated.

Throughout the fight, Mendes constantly worked to implement his ground game and even succeeded with several takedowns, but he couldn’t keep the wily McGregor pinned down.

It was a left hand from the Dubliner that floored Mendes right after he emerged from one of their ground grapples, with mere seconds remaining in the second round.

McGregor continued to work toward staging a future fight with Mendes in his post-fight comments, and Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com quoted him as saying he suffered worse injuries in training than the supposed bruised rib that ruled the Brazilian out:

From the mount position, Money looked as though he might cause McGregor some serious concern, but if critics had doubts in his ability to withstand assault prior to this bout, they’re likely to have subsided.

Sticking to the fight blueprint, McGregor made full use of that huge eight-inch reach advantage to keep his enemy at bay, flicking wild kicks in Mendes’ direction that struggled to do major damage.

The Californian did a fine job of evading those frontal assaults by and large, but a series of blows to the body left their mark on Mendes, who was visibly gassed within minutes of the bout.

McGregor was less visibly drained and insisted on talking smack to his counterpart, something that Mendes gave credit for as an intimidation factor:

Mendes of course deserves his credit for taking the fight on just a fortnight’s notice. Had he been given the opportunity of a full training camp, we may have seen a different matchup on Saturday, but McGregor was fully deserving of a dominant result.

Speaking in his post-fight comments, Mendes also found time to laud praise upon the Irish supporters who back McGregor, proclaiming he wished “we had support like that,” per the Irish Independent:

First of all, I want to thank Conor for accepting the fight on two weeks, he was training for Aldo that entire time, that’s a completely different match-up for him. The guy is tough. He’s got the talk to back it up.

What’s awesome is this, these Irish guys are crazy. I wish we had support like that for everyone here, it’s unbelievable the support you show for your athletes and I got to come in here and be a part of it. This is something that I’m never going to forget in my life.

Indeed, McGregor’s Celtic pride and patriotism is one of his major appeals; it’s an almost primal allure that gives him such a tenacious aura and makes him one of the most feared presences in the UFC right now.

But the multifaceted specimen showed far more than primal instinct alone to capture his first UFC crown on Saturday, and the victory over Mendes signals that bigger accolades surely sit on the horizon.

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UFC 189: Results and Reactions from Biggest Fights on Mendes vs. McGregor Card

Conor McGregor may be pugnacious, abrasive and downright divisive, but the Irishman emphatically delivered on his word to knock out Chad “Money” Mendes at UFC 189 on Saturday evening.
The crowd at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas was bewitc…

Conor McGregor may be pugnacious, abrasive and downright divisive, but the Irishman emphatically delivered on his word to knock out Chad “Money” Mendes at UFC 189 on Saturday evening.

The crowd at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas was bewitched by an absorbing, ever-changing contest, but it was The Notorious One who worked his way off the mat early on to land a thunderous left on his opponent’s chin late in Round 2.

It was an enthralling finish to a sensational card in Las Vegas; here’s a full reminder of the results and a look back at some of the best reaction from McGregor’s marvellous victory.

Results

Main Card

Conor McGregor def. Chad Mendes via second-round TKO
Robbie Lawler def. Rory MacDonald via fifth-round TKO
Jeremy Stephens def. Dennis Bermudez via third-round TKO
Gunnar Nelson def. Brandon Thatch via submission (rear-naked choke)
Thomas Almeida def. Brad Pickett via second-round KO

Undercard

Matt Brown def. Tim Means via submission (guillotine)
Alex Garcia def. Mike Swick via unanimous decision
John Howard def. Cathal Pendred via split decision
Cody Garbrandt def. Henry Briones via unanimous decision
Louis Smolka def. Neil Seery via unanimous decision
Cody Pfister def. Yosdenis Cedeno via unanimous decision

Results courtesy of MMAFighting.com.

Lawler Beats MacDonald in Thriller

After a card that had absorbed all in attendance at the MGM Grand, the battle between Robbie Lawler and Rory MacDonald had a lot to live up to. But the two welterweights turned in a tremendous display, with the champion scoring a decisive knockout in the fifth round.

As we can see here courtesy of MMAFighting.com, it was important for Lawler to get the knockout, as MacDonald was ahead on the judges’ scorecards:

Indeed, MacDonald put in a lot of splendid work in this one before referee John McCarthy stepped in. The fact that the Canadian found himself on top in Round 3 after suffering a horrible broken nose in the session beforehand made his mid-fight pressure all the more impressive.

Lawler was actually staring down the barrel of a defeat in the third round. A swift kick to the back of the head from his opponent left the champion reeling, and although Lawler made it to the end of the round, MacDonald, broken nose and all, was well on top.

But after regrouping in the fourth, Lawler landed a left in the fifth round bang on target, forcing MacDonald to yield. Luke Thomas of MMAFighting paid tribute to the efforts of both men:

After Lawler edged out MacDonald in a split decision in 2013, this win was consolidation of his dominance in this rivalry. The shot to do so much damage in Round 2 was one of the manoeuvres of the evening, but the manner in which Lawler clawed himself back into contention after MacDonald turned the tide was impressive.

McGregor Delivers on His Word

Amidst the hyperbolic buildup to this megafight, McGregor offered to bet UFC President Dana White $3 million that he’d knock out Mendes in the second round, per the Jim Rome Show (h/t Colin Brennan of the Irish Mirror).

These kinds of claims are so often made and forgotten, but in this instance, with a second-round knockout victory secured by the Irishman, the boast has major significance.

McGregor has delivered on his word once again.

Here’s a look at the winning moment, courtesy of BT Sport UFC:

Mendes had schooled The Notorious One in the early stages of the contest. Ahead of the fight, many expected the American to have the requisite skills to get McGregor down to the floor repeatedly in the opening session. As a result, the Irishman ended the first round bloodied, and Mendes looked to be well in control.

But McGregor was able to work his way back to his feet superbly, and in the upright exchanges he was well on top of Mendes. One of those blows was eventually telling, as the 26-year-old landed a fierce left on the jaw of his opponent.

As noted by Bleacher Report U.K., McGregor was blunt in his post-fight assessment of the decisive moment:

This was the fight that really saw McGregor arrive as an elite UFC star. For so long there have been concerns about whether he could beat a technical talent such as Mendes and whether he could last the pace against these types of opponents. But he proved here that not only can he mix it up with those guys, but he can finish contests in the blink of an eye.

For the sport, a win for McGregor, who is a promoter’s dream, is so important too. Thoughts will now turn to a potential bout with champion Jose Aldo, and while the ill feeling between the two has always made for a fascinating rivalry, McGregor now boasts a top-class pedigree to back up his brash persona.

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Twitter Reacts to Conor McGregor’s UFC 189 Championship Victory

Conor McGregor is your new—interim—UFC featherweight champion. It isn’t the championship he had hoped to have around his waist at UFC 189, but it still felt pretty sweet.
McGregor bested Chad Mendes in under two rounds by TKO. The UFC’s Iri…

Conor McGregor is your new—interim—UFC featherweight champion. It isn’t the championship he had hoped to have around his waist at UFC 189, but it still felt pretty sweet.

McGregor bested Chad Mendes in under two rounds by TKO. The UFC’s Irish star got the signature win that critics had chastised him for lacking, and now he can firmly stand atop the division alongside Jose Aldo. UFC 189 is one of the biggest and best events in UFC history.

This is how the world of Twitter reacted to his championship performance.

Sinead O’Connor Sings McGregor‘s Entrance

The Irish singer performed McGregor‘s entrance at UFC 189, and it marked one of the few times a live performance accompanied a fighter. The production improvements made this fight feel special, and this is hopefully where the UFC is going. Embrace the spectacle.

Round 1

Mendes took the fight round of the fight, but it wasn’t easy. He was visibly tired in the cage in just the first five minutes. He still was able to take McGregor down and land several elbows. His success would be short-lived.

Round 2

McGregor is taken down again, but once he gets back to his feet, he finishes the fight. Mendes went for a guillotine, but it didn’t work. That little bit of space is what allowed McGregor back up in the early going. Some also questioned the stoppage of the fight. Too soon? You be the judge.

Post-Fight Reaction

Media and fighters were not short on opinions following the victory. UFC 189 came through in just about every way. It was exciting, and it gave us stars to follow in the future. This was a successful event, and the UFC brass has to be thrilled.

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Jose Aldo vs. Conor McGregor Likely to Be Held in Las Vegas on January 2

UFC 189 was supposed to be Jose Aldo defending his UFC Featherweight Championship against Conor McGregor. The UFC threw money into the promotion for the fight, but an injury sidelined the champion.
Enter Chad Mendes and an interim title belt.
McGregor …

UFC 189 was supposed to be Jose Aldo defending his UFC Featherweight Championship against Conor McGregor. The UFC threw money into the promotion for the fight, but an injury sidelined the champion.

Enter Chad Mendes and an interim title belt.

McGregor was taken down but proved to be tough as nails as he got back to his feet to finish off the American wrestler in the second round on Saturday. The UFC’s newest superstar came through in a big way, and the question of what was next loomed after the fight.

Frankie Edgar stood outside the Octagon and talked briefly with McGregor. He appeared to want a shot at McGregor and the interim title.

At the post-fight press conference, Dana White was non-committal about anything regarding McGregor and Aldo. He did not divulge any information about a possible date, but the same cannot be said for Lorenzo Fertitta.

Per Brett Okamoto of ESPN, Fertitta says the UFC would probably schedule the Aldo-McGregor unification bout for January 2 at the MGM Grand Garden Casino. The company has a hold on the arena for that date already, as the New Year’s fight card is usually one of the UFC’s premier dates.

There are still a lot of details to work out. Aldo is recovering from his rib injury, and McGregor is coming off the fight at UFC 189. There is no timetable for a bout for either man at this juncture, but the UFC seemingly wants this fight to be next for the featherweight division.

It is the UFC’s money fight.

The promotion returns to Ireland in October. That would seemingly be a prime spot for McGregor to defend the interim title, but it would be a big risk for the UFC. That decision would likely come down to the health of Aldo and if the UFC needs McGregor to defend the belt on that date. It seems unlikely the Irish crowd will get the hometown boy on that card.

Aldo vs. McGregor is the biggest fight the UFC can possibly make at this point in time. It makes sense the powers that be want to do this fight as soon as possible and not risk losing it again.

The McGregor victory at UFC 189 only made the fight bigger. The media surrounding the unification bout will be enormous, and the UFC will want to make sure this fight happens on the biggest stage possible.

White also stated at the post-fight presser that Aldo vs. McGregor would happen in Las Vegas. When a reporter asked about the possibility of AT&T Stadium, White remarked that it is hard to leave Vegas. It is the fight capital of the world. With a fight the size of Aldo vs. McGregor, it will be hard to take it anywhere other than Vegas.

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