UFC 189: Mendes vs. McGregor was live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on July 11, 2015.
Biggest Winners and Losers from UFC 189
The main event was originally supposed to be the much-anticipated UFC Featherweight Championship match-up as the champion José Aldo was set to take on the challenger Conor McGregor, but an injury forced Aldo out and was later replaced by Chad Mendes. The new main event was for the Interim UFC Featherweight Championship.
Just like at every event, many fighters took a step forward in their career, whereas others had to take a step back. With that being said, check out our biggest winners and losers from UFC 189 below.
Winners
Conor McGregor
The hype-train that is known as Conor McGregor can no longer be called just that. It is no longer hype and there is no doubt that the Irishman is the real deal. It wasn’t pretty and it was a struggle like he has yet to feel in the octagon, but McGregor was able to become the Interim UFC Featherweight Champion as he won via TKO at 4:57 of Round 2. The skill level of the 26-year-old is undeniable at this point and it was the biggest night of his still very brief UFC career.
MMA Fans
The real winner of the entire event is anyone that watched. It was without a doubt the best main card of any event in MMA history. Every fight from Thomas Almeida vs. Brad Pickett to Robbie Lawler vs. Rory MacDonald was jaw dropping and a new possible ‘Fight of the Night’. The main event lived up to the hype as well as we saw Conor McGregor tested like he never was before. Although the majority of the prelims were not the most exciting, the main card surely made up for it and made this one of the most memorable events in UFC history.
Losers
Dennis Bermudez
Dennis Bermudez snapped his seven fight winning streak his last time out as he was defeated by Ricardo Lamas. Bermudez was looking to get back into the win column at UFC 189 as he took on Jeremy Stephens. Although the fight was a fantastic one, Bermudez was not victorious as he lost via TKO at 32-seconds of Round 3. This marked the second straight loss for Bermudez after he was so close to getting a chance to fight for the UFC Featherweight Championship. Bermudez is still amongst the best of the division; this is just a minor step back for ‘The Menace’.
Brandon Thatch
Brandon Thatch was looking to get back into the win column as he took on another prospect in Gunnar Nelson. For the second time in a row, Thatch was submitted via rear-naked choke. Thatch still has a very bright future within the welterweight division, but after his last few fights there are clear holes in his game that his opponents will look to exploit.
