MMA Event of the Year: UFC 189
Without a doubt, UFC 189 was the best MMA event of the year. It was violence incarnate, with huge build up and an even better payoff. Every fight on the main card ended with a finish, and each could have been a contender for Fight of the Night. The card was incredibly stacked, and even had Matt Brown and Tim Means headline the prelims. Robbie Lawler and Rory MacDonald had a complete barn-burner in the Welterweight Championship fight, in an instant classic that was also voted by the LWOS MMA staff as the Fight of the Year. So let’s take a look back and relive all the action on the main card from the best MMA event of 2015.
Thomas Almeida vs. Brad Pickett
The main card kicked off with an exciting bantamweight match-up between undefeated prospect, Thomas Almeida and UFC and WEC veteran Brad Pickett. The first round was a slug-fest that saw Pickett drop Almeida, but Almeida weathered the storm and knocked out Pickett in the second round with a brutal flying knee.
Relive that flying knee here.
Almeida extended his unbeaten streak to 19-0 that night, and he also earned a Performance of the Night bonus in the process. Almeida’s continued dominance and exciting fighting style could possibly earn him a title shot sometime in 2016.
Gunnar Nelson vs. Brandon Thatch
The second fight on the main card featured the perpetually stoic Gunnar Nelson taking on Brandon Thatch. Nelson dropped Thatch early in the first round then dominated him on the ground before submitting Thatch via rear-naked choke. The jiu-jitsu ace picked up his tenth career submission victory in what was going to turn out to be a huge night for the boys from the Straight Blast Gym.
Jeremy Stephens vs. Dennis Bermudez
Because one flying knee knockout on a card just isn’t enough, so Jeremy Stephens gave us another. Stephens and Bermudez was another wild brawl in a card full of wild brawls, and hopefully this fight doesn’t get lost in the shuffle.
Check out the finish here.
Robbie Lawler (c) vs. Rory MacDonald for the UFC Welterweight Championship
McGregor and Mendes might have been the main event, but Lawler and MacDonald completely stole the show in what was one of the greatest welterweight titles fights in history, and what was undoubtedly Fight of the Year. The fight was an all-out war, with both men looking like Carrie by the end of the fight. Both guys showed incredible heart, but in the end Lawler put away MacDonald in the fifth round to retain his title.
Read the Last Word on Sports full breakdown of the Fight of the Year here .
Conor McGregor vs. Chad Mendes for the Interim UFC Featherweight Championship
Even after the masterpiece that was Lawler vs. MacDonald, UFC 189 still had one more fight to give us, McGregor vs. Mendes.
McGregor vs. Mendes wasn’t even the main event the card was supposed to have; originally the event was going to be headlined by Aldo vs. McGregor. But after Aldo sustained a rib injury during training, the UFC was forced to find a last minute replacement for Aldo, and that replacement came in the form of Team Alpha Males’ Mendes.
Many in the MMA community, (including me) felt that Mendes could be a more difficult match up for McGregor, and much was made about how McGregor would fare against an elite wrestler.
Mendes definitely pushed McGregor in that fight, taking him down at will and slamming elbows into McGregor. But after the first round, McGregor was still there, and Mendes appeared to be tiring. McGregor started hitting the body hard, and Mendes was fading fast. With seconds left in the second round, McGregor connected with a left that sent Mendes to the canvas, and McGregor was crowned the new Interim UFC Featherweight Champion.
Final Thoughts
The night was capped off with two thrilling and emotionally draining title fights, but it was every fight together that made UFC 189 the best MMA event of the year. UFC 189 completely delivered for fight fans, and could go down as one of the greatest UFC cards of all time.
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