It is being called one of the greatest ever UFC pay-per-views, UFC 189 lived up to the hype, and more.
The question was answered; well partially, with the crowning of Conor McGregor as the UFC Interim-Featherweight champion.
Chad Mendes used his wrestling to hinder McGregor early on, however it was the devastating strikes from the Irishman which quickly wore down ‘Money’ Mendes, before a big left hand finished the fight.
The era of McGregor is upon us, and with bouts against Jose Aldo and Frankie Edgar in the pipeline, anxious excitement awaits.
Despite a fantastic main event, the entire card; once overshadowed, showcased a plethora of talent.
‘Fight of the year’ was a phrase repeated several times during the three hour PPV, with the top three bouts all staking a claim to that moniker.
Also, Robbie Lawler defended his Welterweight world championship in a tough fight against Rory MacDoanld. ‘Ruthless’ Lawler methodically worse down the Canadian, finishing with a punch that cleanly broke MacDonald’s nose.
Elsewhere, Jeremy Stephens showcased brutality against Dennis Bermudez, Gunnar Nelson dismissed his last loss to Rick Story with an emphatic rear naked choke over Brandon Thatch, and Thomas Almeida survived an early storm from Brad Pickett to score a knockout of the year flying knee finish.
Overall, it was pretty awesome.
UFC 189 Results Main Card
Interim-Featherweight title: Conor McGregor def. Chad Mendes TKO (punches) Round 2 – 4:57
Welterweight title: Robbie Lawler (c) def. Rory MacDonald TKO (punches) Round 5 – 1:00
Catchweight (149.5 lbs): Jeremy Stephens def. Dennis Bermudez TKO (flying knee and punches) Round 3 – 0:32
Welterweight: Gunnar Nelson def. Brandon Thatch Submission (rear-naked choke) Round 1 – 2:54
Bantamweight: Thomas Almeida def. Brad Pickett KO (flying knee) Round 2 – 0:29
UFC 189 results Preliminary Card
Welterweight: Matt Brown def. Tim Means Submission (guillotine choke) Round 1 – 4:44
Welterweight: Alex Garcia def. Mike Swick Decision (unanimous) (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Welterweight: John Howard def. Cathal Pendred Decision (split) (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Bantamweight: Cody Garbrandt def. Henry Briones Decision (unanimous) (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
UFC 189 results Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass)
Flyweight: Louis Smolka def. Neil Seery Decision (unanimous) (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Lightweight: Cody Pfister def. Yosdenis Cedeno Decision (unanimous) (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
