Welcome to a new era in the UFC. With the official Reebok ‘Fight Kits’ making their debut in the Octagon this weekend, the overall production and look to what you’re typically used to seeing on the broadcast will have changed. The beginning of one era coexists with the continuation of another: The McGregor Era. If you have yet to see this guy fight, he alone is worth the price of watching the entire event (and he will be the first to tell you that). Lucky for you, the UFC has spoiled us fans with an unbelievably loaded card full of fantastic fights! The Interim Featherweight Championship is up for grabs, as Chad “Money” Mendes and “The Notorious” Conor McGregor will take their war of words into the cage and settle their differences in what should be a classic! Also, you wouldn’t hardly know this from UFC’s promotion efforts, but there is also another title on the line in the rematch between Rory MacDonald and Robbie Lawler; they will fight in the co-main event for the Welterweight belt. Arguably, UFC 189 is one of the organization’s biggest events in their history, and the following preview will give an indication why this event is a can’t-miss!
UFC Fight Pass Prelims
Now usually I am a rube for Fight Pass through and through, encouraging even the smallest of fights to be worth watching. Unfortunately, this case is an exception. Yes, I will still watch these two contests, but by no means do I endorse non-subscribers to rush to their computers to sign up for these scraps. Regardless, they still will get the preview treatment.
- Kicking off the night is a Lightweight bout between Yosdenis (sorry KFAN crew, but not quite Yo-anus level, but close) Cedeno and Cody “The Fist” Pfister. Creative nickname there, kid. Likely a “loser-goes-home” fight as both fighters are coming off losses and quite frankly haven’t made any sort of splash in this deep division.
- Rounding out the Fight Pass prelims will be the first of four from Coach John Kavanagh’s crew in Neil Seery facing Louis Smolka. Seery has picked up a pair of consecutive unanimous decision wins, while Smolka is coming off of a Performance of the Night bonus in his previous bout. I expect these Flyweights to make a statement in the rather thin division, with the winner ascending up the rankings.
Prelims on Fox Sports 1
Let the fun begin.
- The first of two massive prospects in the Bantamweight division fighting on this card gets things started on Fox Sports 1. “No Love” Cody Garbrandt has more going for him than just dating one of the UFC’s brightest stars in Paige VanZant. He also has one of the meanest neck tats I’ve ever seen, a perfect record, and a belligerent striking skill set that will be all sorts of trouble for his opponent, Henry Briones. The TUF: Latin America product is on a roll of his own, riding an eight fight undefeated streak and won’t go down easy.
- On deck, SBG Ireland’s Cathal Pendred shoots for an unprecedented fifth straight win to begin his UFC career; all in under a year! We’ll see if the “luck of the Irish” continues against the veteran, John “Doomsday” Howard, who has lost three straight.
- Then, the long-awaited return of Mike “Quick” Swick takes place in his first fight in two-and-a-half years. He will need to shake off any ring rust in a hurry because firing at him will be the explosive, “Dominican Nightmare,” Alex Garcia.
- To cap off a premium prelim card is a dandy and also serves as my darkhorse to take “Fight of the Night” honors. Matt Brown and Tim Means will do battle in the third straight Welterweight bout in what has all the makings of a Jim Ross slobberknocker. These two vets have been known to bite down on the mouthpiece, stay in the pocket, and simply throw bombs – should be a fun one.
Main Card (PPV)
UFC 189’s main card is truly a five-course meal. The remaining five fights require you to pay for them for a reason; they’re that good.
- Up first, the other Bantamweight stud, Thomas Almeida, will take on the suspender-yielding, fedora-wearing, Brad Pickett. Almeida is only 23 years old and owns a sexy 19-0 record. He’s a diverse and technical striker who put on a crazy display of liver shot and uppercut combos against Yves Jabouin, earning Performance of the Night when we last saw him at UFC 186. Pickett is a massive underdog on the betting lines, and rightfully so.
- Moving back to the Welterweight division, this next fight features two of my favorite up-and-comers. Gunnar Nelson and Brandon Thatch have been regarded as potential future champions, and it’s unfortunate that one of them will have to lose here, making it their second loss in a row. Whoever wins this has their name etched right back into contender status, while the other will have their work cut out for them.
- Ready for another brawl? Look no further than Dennis Bermudez and Jeremy Stephens. Both are guys you wouldn’t want to cross paths with in the 145-lb. division, and they likely will put on a show to set themselves up for a run at the newly crowned Interim Champ (who knows when we’ll see Aldo fight again; the dude pulls out of more fights than I can count).
- Rory and Robbie (no, not the Highlanders from mid-2000s WWE) are ready to show the world that they are on this card, too. This rematch from the 2013 split decision victory for Lawler is big. MacDonald has been described as the protégé of GSP for years now, and we will see if he can finally live up to the hype and claim a gold strap of his own. This is the first title defense for ATT’s first-ever champ, and he’d like to keep the belt in Florida.
- And finally. The star of “The McGregor Show.” I cannot wait to see how this fight turns out! McGregor’s wrestling defense has always been questioned since he’s been labeled a stand-up fighter, and there’s no better test for him to prove his naysayers wrong than against Chad Mendes. It seems everyone in the division wants to get their hands on the confident Irishman, and “Money” is certainly no exception. One of these two will leave Vegas with some added weight around their waist, and then let the training begin to unify against Aldo!
The Cage Bomb 