UFC 189 Results: Matches to Make for the Winners and Losers
Despite Jose Aldo's absence, UFC 189 was an event that won't soon be forgotten.
There was some controversy around the decision to introduce an interim featherweight belt, but the card did produce a new UFC champion. In the main event, Conor McGregor silenced those who doubted his ability to beat a high-level wrestler by knocking out Chad Mendes in the second round.
Meanwhile, the co-main event between Robbie Lawler and Rory MacDonald hardly played second fiddle on Saturday. In an outstanding contest that left both men bloodied and battered, Lawler retained the welterweight championship with a needed knockout in the final stanza.
For McGregor, it appears certain that the UFC will re-book a title bout with Aldo. However, the future is less certain for the rest of the UFC 189 competitors.
Here are the opponents each UFC 189 winner and loser should face next.
Prelim Fighters
1 of 11
Prelim Winners
| Fighter | Matchup |
| Matt Brown | Carlos Condit |
| Alex Garcia | Jorge Masvidal |
| John Howard | Yoshihiro Akiyama |
| Cody Garbrandt | Pedro Munhoz |
| Louis Smolka | Justin Scoggins |
| Cody Pfister | Mickael Lebout vs. Teemu Packalen winner |
Prelim Losers
| Fighter | Matchup |
| Tim Means | Ben Saunders vs. Kenny Robertson loser |
| Mike Swick | Amir Sadollah |
| Cathal Pendred | Antonio Braga Neto |
| Henry Briones | Michinori Tanaka |
| Neil Seery | Chico Camus |
| Yosdenis Cedeno | Norman Parke |
Brad Pickett
2 of 11
Matchup: Joe Soto
Following an unsuccessful run at 125 pounds, Brad Pickett returned to the bantamweight division at UFC 189. Things didn't go much better for him at 135 pounds, though.
Pickett did do some damage in a brawl with the up-and-coming Thomas Almeida. However, the Brazilian rebounded and put Pickett away with a flying knee in the second round.
"Brad Pickett suffers his first knockout loss since 2005. Thomas Almeida is the real deal, folks. #UFC189
— Mike Bohn (@MikeBohnMMA) July 12, 2015"
It takes a special talent to stop Pickett, despite the fact that the British bantamweight has lost three in a row now. Even with his disappointing slump, Pickett is too entertaining for the UFC to let go because he lost to a potential 135-pound title contender.
Should Pickett get another chance to get back on track, I think it will come against Joe Soto, who has gone 0-2 since joining the UFC roster but impressed in a debut loss to T.J. Dillashaw.
Thomas Almeida
3 of 11Matchup: Francisco Rivera
At 23 years old, Almeida earned a big opportunity against Pickett after going 2-0 to start his UFC career.
While it wasn't a flawless performance, Almeida showed that he can respond to adversity against a high-level opponent. Bloodied during the opening round, Almeida bounced back and flatted Pickett with a flying knee less than one minute into the second stanza.
"Holy FLYING KNEEEE!!!!! That was CRAZY!!! @ThomasalmeidaCB #UFC189
— #TUFFinale (@ufc) July 12, 2015"
Almeida is the first fighter to record a knockout against Pickett in more than a decade, and he has done enough to earn a shot at a ranked bantamweight at this point. A meeting with Francisco Rivera could produce another stand-up war.
Brandon Thatch
4 of 11
Matchup: Siyar Bahadurzada
With two opening-round stoppages out of the gates, Brandon Thatch rose quickly in the welterweight division. However, he seems to have hit a wall in back-to-back matchups with ranked opponents.
First, former lightweight champion Benson Henderson submitted Thatch in a deflating loss for Rukus. Then, at UFC 189, Gunnar Nelson dropped Thatch before locking up a rear-naked choke in under three minutes.
"Still a card-carrying member of the Brandon Thatch fan club. Some holes to shore up but back-to-back change of opponents hasn't helped.
— Jon Anik (@Jon_Anik) July 12, 2015"
Clearly, Thatch needs to fix some holes on the ground, but he's still one of the more dangerous strikers at 170 pounds. A clash with a fellow knockout artist like Siyar Bahadurzada might be what Thatch needs to get back into the win column.
Gunnar Nelson
5 of 11
Matchup: Lorenz Larkin
Following the first loss of his MMA career, a split decision against Rick Story, Nelson bounced back in a big way at UFC 189.
Many felt Nelson would need an early takedown to avoid standing with the dangerous Thatch. However, it was Nelson who put Thatch down with a combination and was able to lock up a submission without even having to utilize his wrestling.
"Gunnar Nelson!!! Left-right, Thatch goes down and Nelson grabs the rear naked choke and that's all she wrote! #UFC189
— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) July 12, 2015"
Only one bout removed from that loss to Story, Nelson could use another win or two before being tested by a top-10 welterweight. He thwarted one rising striker in Thatch and should now test another in Lorenz Larkin, who has scored two straight knockouts since moving down to 170 pounds.
Dennis Bermudez
6 of 11
Matchup: Jeremy Stephens
At UFC 189, Dennis Bermudez was looking to rebound from a loss to Ricardo Lamas, his first defeat since falling to Diego Brandao in the TUF 14 finals.
Bermudez started strong and was putting on a show opposite a heavier Jeremy Stephens on Saturday. However, in the third round, Bermudez wound up on the receiving end of a flying knee and could not recover before referee Marc Goddard stepped in.
"Dana just offered me a rematch and I accepted. #192
— Dennis Bermudez (@MenaceBermudez) July 12, 2015"
Given the definitive ending, I would not have paired Stephens and Bermudez again. However, it was a fun fight and Stephens came in over weight.
So, I'm not complaining that it appears the featherweight contenders have already been booked to meet again at UFC 192 in October.
Jeremy Stephens
7 of 11
Matchup: Dennis Bermudez
With back-to-back losses and the fact that he missed weight on Friday, Stephens needed a win at UFC 189 in order to keep his UFC career going.
It wasn't looking great early on, but Stephens can turn a fight around in an instant with his outstanding knockout power. Less than one minute into the third round, Stephens landed a flying knee to extend his career and remain a player in the featherweight title conversation.
"Jeremy Stephens proved last night why UFC keeps him despite a 11-10 record. He's got KO's via flying knee, head kick & uppercut. Brilliant.
— Mike Bohn (@MikeBohnMMA) July 12, 2015"
Unfortunately, Stephens' win was tainted by the fact that he failed to make weight. An apparent rematch with Bermudez will give Stephens a chance to prove that weight didn't play a factor in his victory on Saturday.
Rory MacDonald
8 of 11
Matchup: Hector Lombard
It was only a matter of time until MacDonald competed for a welterweight championship, but few could have predicted the Canadian would take part in one of the most entertaining title bouts MMA has seen.
Despite being battered over several brutal rounds, MacDonald appeared to be on his way to capturing UFC gold when the fifth and final round began. However, a well-placed Lawler punch one minute into the fifth frame left MacDonald in too much pain to continue competing.
(Warning: Image may be disturbing to some.)
"broken nose broken foot but ill be back pic.twitter.com/KAakEC0qTh
— Rory MacDonald (@rory_macdonald) July 12, 2015"
This is one of those fights that MacDonald should take a while to come back from. By the time he is ready, Hector Lombard's suspension for a failed drug test will be over and a matchup that had been scheduled for UFC 186 could be re-booked.
Robbie Lawler
9 of 11Matchup: Johny Hendricks
Lawler's unbelievable run continued at UFC 189, where he defended his welterweight belt for the first time against MacDonald.
It was a competitive contest throughout, but Lawler found himself behind toward the end. By the time the fifth round was under way, Lawler essentially needed a knockout to retain the 170-pound championship, and he got it through an accumulation of damage to MacDonald's mug.
"Let's do this Robbie Lawler.... #BiggRigg is coming! https://t.co/BapxLZ8JXW pic.twitter.com/FEg7grTiJB
— Johny Hendricks (@JohnyHendricks) July 12, 2015"
When Johny Hendricks lost the welterweight championship to Lawler at UFC 181, I thought he should have been awarded an immediate rematch. That didn't happen because Lawler wasn't healthy enough to go and Hendricks wanted to remain active while the champion recovered.
Now, there are no roadblocks stopping a third match between Lawler and Hendricks.
Chad Mendes
10 of 11
Matchup: Diego Sanchez
With two losses to Aldo already under his belt, Mendes was going to have a tough time getting another title shot before some other top featherweight contenders.
However, when Aldo pulled out of UFC 189, Mendes was given a huge opportunity to become an interim 145-pound champion. With four takedowns, Mendes definitely had some success against McGregor, but he wasn't able to shut the Irishman down and seemed to fade late in the second round.
When McGregor fought off a submission and stood, Mendes wasn't able to weather the storm that came at him. With only three seconds to go in the second round, Herb Dean stepped in to save Mendes from further punishment.
"What a sportsman Chad Mendes is. Not a scintilla of an excuse for his loss.
— Luke Thomas (@SBNLukeThomas) July 12, 2015"
It's tough to pick an opponent for Mendes now. He's beaten most 145-pound contenders and has a lot of work to do to earn rematches with either featherweight champion. I'd love to see him fight Frankie Edgar, but the UFC won't want to risk Mendes eliminating Edgar as an option to challenger for the belt.
The alternative is to match Mendes up with a noteworthy non-contender. If Diego Sanchez really does drop down to 145 pounds, he might be a decent sacrificial lamb to build Mendes back up.
Conor McGregor
11 of 11Matchup: Jose Aldo
McGregor has quieted his critics with each trip he has made to the Octagon.
On Saturday, he may have silenced the last of his doubters. Facing an elite wrestler, McGregor worked his way back up from takedowns and wore Mendes down before scoring a knockout win.
"Conor McGregor vs. Jose Aldo set to be the biggest fight in @ufc history http://t.co/BphgeRNd5e pic.twitter.com/CSEQnYSCvW
— Bleacher Report MMA (@BR_MMA) July 12, 2015"
There is no doubt who is next for McGregor now. A title merger with Aldo will end up being one of the biggest fights in UFC history once it finally goes down.
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