The MGM Grand empties, the last few Irish drunks are swept out with discarded Irish flags while Rory MacDonald’s face is mopped up from the Octagon. Whether fight-goers decide to return home, or decide to keep the party going in Vegas, those that were there can say they witnessed something very special, an event unlike any other.
This wasn’t simply a night of fights. From the very beginning of the show the live crowd and fans at home were given the first glimpses of a new looking UFC, a UFC that has grown. Long gone is the gladiator strapping on his armour at the start of the Pay per view, the ramps fighters used to enter the arena, and now with them also cast into the UFC history books are the drawn out title montage.
They now favour a relaxed remixed adaptation of the usual thrash metal accompaniment of Stemm’s Face The Pain. From where I was sitting at home it felt like we were about to experience something different. Little was I to know I was about to witness the stars aligning
I can’t imagine the work that goes into organizing an event like this, the media, the arena, the fighters, the TV scheduling not to mention the production of 5 hours of live TV. Then one of your main event fighters pulls out with 2 weeks until fight night! Every event must give the UFC management a squeaky bum? They can only do so much; it ultimately comes down to everyone doing their job – including the 3 men or women standing in the cage.
I bet Dana White is doing just as big a jig as Conor McGregor is doing right now, because Saturday night did everything it needed to. As soon as the UFC announced the replacement for Aldo would be Mendes the feel of the whole event changed.
Suddenly those who might of been on the fence about attending the event put their hands in their pockets, and what was a big event suddenly became the biggest event, from there it seemed the buzz surrounding the main event was even more electric. I even wrote a column on why Mendes was the best thing to happen to UFC 189, but it wasn’t just the Mendes effect that made the night.
From top to bottom the fights were exceptional. Granted, the undercard did little to excite until Matt Brown did what he does best by taking just enough of a beating to spark him back to life and impressively submit Tim Means. From then on the main card just got better and better.
There were flying knee KO’s, slick submissions, a title fight war that will not only go down in the history books, but has probably made Robbie Lawler the most beloved champion in the UFC right now (if he wasn’t already). There was not a bad judge or refs call in on the whole main card, and if that wasn’t enough there were nince, that’s right you can count them, nine ring girls to add some glamour to proceedings, oh and Sinead O Connor!
For me it wasn’t just the fights, but the results themselves that needed to go right. Each one seemed to lift the energy of the event. After a Knockout of the Night bonus for Thomas Almeida’s flying knee there was McGregor’s training partner Gunnar Nelson. He had to win against welterweight monster Brandon Thatch, the Irish fans demanded it. He wasn’t going to disappoint, finishing Thatch with a slick rear naked choke inside of one round.
Fan favourite Jeremy Stephens then came from behind with another perfect flying knee that might well have won him a performance of the night bonus had he not missed weight by 4lbs. The finishes ignited the crowd leading up to the welterweight title fight, and what we saw did not disappoint.
Back and forth action saw Lawler nearly give up his title on two occasions but pure heart and determination saw him push through to the end, where the beating Lawler put on MacDonald’s nose was too much to bear and the Red King (that’s right, that his nick name?!!) collapsed 1 minute into the final round. It wasn’t just that McDonald is not particularly well liked (well not by anyone outside Canada) it was the fact Lawler was well behind on the score cards, and was nearly dropped twice that made the victory so much sweeter!
Following another dazzling digital display projected into the Octagon, and entrance music sung live by Sinead O’Connor and Aaron Lewis, I honestly thought anything short of Daenerys Stormborn riding her dragon into the arena would be a let down. The performance by both fighters, and the ultimate TKO win for McGregor saw us witness not only McGregor beat the strongest wrestler in the division but also be truly humbled in victory, a side of the Irishman we all needed to see!
When you then add in the title unification fight with Aldo that’s now on the horizon, things could not have gone better for the UFC. In the weekend that saw them launch the hotly contested Reebok deal together with a fight card that has had more money spent on it than any other in the history of the sport, the UFC needed nothing short of what they got. A highly polished promotion that eclipses the production of any MMA promotion to date and a series of electric fights that cumulated into the biggest main event in the sports history. In short those that witnessed UFC 189 whether it be live or on TV, surely witnessed the greatest event in combat sports history!
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