UFC 189: 5 Reasons to Watch Mendes vs. McGregor Fight Card
After months of endless anticipation, the biggest fight card of the year is almost here.
Kind of.
It's hard to imagine this card being worth your while, especially considering how invested we all were in what was poised to be the biggest mixed martial arts bout in featherweight history—and arguably the biggest fight of the year.
Jose Aldo was supposed to walk in, bearing the black and gold colors UFC champions wear in this modern Reebok era. Conor McGregor was supposed to come in draped in a cloak of green, white and orange. At the end of it all, an undisputed featherweight champion would emerge; in his shadow would follow a small island's worth of people ready to take to their keyboards to dispute that "undisputed" part.
It would have been beautiful, really.
Now, UFC 189 certainly doesn't have the main event most of us were dying to see, but believe it or not, there are plenty of other really, really good fights scheduled to take place Saturday night. Here are five reasons you should still buy in to UFC 189: Mendes vs. McGregor.
Swick Starts His Comeback
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We haven't seen Mike Swick inside of the Octagon, or any cage, for that matter, in almost three years.
Last time we saw Swick, Fabricio Werdum was barely making any rumblings in the heavyweight division, Daniel Cormier was still hanging around the heavyweight division, Chris Weidman could only beg for a chance to prove himself in a middleweight title fight, Robbie Lawler was nowhere near being a Cinderella story, Rafael dos Anjos was only one fight removed from a loss to Gleison Tibau, T.J. Dillashaw was twiddling his thumbs trying to crack the bantamweight's top 10, Demetrious Johnson was only "sort of" impressive as a flyweight and Joana Jedrzejczyk was only two fights into her MMA career.
Seriously, a lot's changed since the last time we saw the TUF 1 alum in a fight.
He never officially retired, but he cited health issues as the primary factor keeping him from strapping the iconic MMA gloves onto his quick hands.
Now, as he stages a comeback only few other fighters can hold a candle to, Swick returns to a welterweight division no longer dictated by Georges St-Pierre. There's quite a bit of space separating Swick from the top of the division, but assuming he's "literally the healthiest [he's] ever been in [his] whole UFC career," he should have little problem replicating those extended winning streaks from yesteryear.
A Streaking Journeyman Meets 'The Immortal One'
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Even to the most hardcore of fans, Tim Means has never been a household name. The lean 170-pounder amassed a 3-2 record when he joined the UFC as a lightweight in 2012. He padded his record a bit, going 4-1 when re-signing with the UFC in 2014 as a welterweight. He's a tall fighter with an affinity for striking.
He's talented, sure. But he hasn't had the chance to prove it against one of the elite fighters in his division.
He'll get his chance Saturday, against a guy who's looking to get back on the right track after winning seven straight against middle-tier competition.
If nothing else, a fight between two fighters who hold a combined 28-1 (T)KO record should excite you.
Promising Welterweights Clash
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It's safe to say both Gunnar Nelson and Brandon Thatch were disappointing in their most recent outings.
The former was stepping into the cage with his 13-fight undefeated streak to face longtime UFC welterweight Rick Story. Despite having half as much experience as his elder, American counterpart, Nelson was still supposed to step into that cage and use his awkward style to dismantle his opponent. Nope.
Nelson's UFC 189 opponent, Thatch, was supposed to do much of the same against a more seasoned opponent. And yet, despite having an unbelievable size advantage against a natural lightweight fighter, he faltered. Badly.
But, as many of the successful fighters on this card will show you, a bump in the road does not signal the end of the journey. Both of these men have a wealth of opportunities ahead of them, regardless of who comes out on top Saturday night.
That Other Title Fight
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There are plenty of reasons to be geeked about the co-main event at UFC 189.
On the one hand, Rory MacDonald could finally seize the welterweight throne. Even at 20 years old back in 2010, he was a fighter most of us had pegged for the welterweight title. It only took a first-round armbar of Mike Guymon and the knowledge that he was training with and breathing the same air as the greatest welterweight of all time to convince us that this guy was destined for great things.
And five years later, here he finally is.
But let us not forget about the man who'll be wearing the red gloves in this championship fight. The man who left the UFC at 23 and came back after a seven-year absence to show the world he was capable of doing more than getting submitted by Jason "Mayhem" Miller.
These two are certainly championship-quality fighters. And it certainly doesn't hurt that they already fought to a close split decision just two years ago.
The 'Title' Fight
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This isn't the fight most of us wanted.
We wanted a fight between the best fighter in the history of the featherweight division and the brashest fighter in the history of the featherweight division. Jose Aldo vs. Conor McGregor was exciting because we knew the pre-fight drama would meet its match inside the cage. All things healthy, this was supposed to be a can't-miss fight.
And then, one clearly broken rib later, the fight was gone.
A blessing in disguise, if you really think about it. It may not be good business for the UFC, but it at least gives them an opportunity—the perfect opportunity—to have their golden Irishman test himself against the type of fighter most critics assume to be his kryptonite.
But will Conor prove his detractors wrong and secure his title shot against Aldo? Or will Chad Mendes punch his ticket to a third fight with the featherweight king? None of us really know, which makes for a good reason to tune in and find out.
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