Tag: UFC 189

Robbie Lawler vs. Rory MacDonald from UFC 189 joins 2023 UFC Hall of Fame class

The epic battle between Robbie Lawler and Rory MacDonald from UFC 189 will join this year’s UFC Hall of Fame class.

The epic battle between [autotag]Robbie Lawler[/autotag] and [autotag]Rory MacDonald[/autotag] from UFC 189 will join this year’s UFC Hall of Fame class.

The promotion announced during Saturday’s UFC 287 broadcast that the brutal welterweight title bout from July 2015, which saw Lawler defeat MacDonald by fifth-round TKO at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, will be enshrined in the Fight Wing of the hall as part of the 2023 induction class.

“The fight between Robbie Lawler and Rory McDonald at UFC 189 was one of the most exciting fights in UFC history,” UFC president Dana White said in a news release. “This was an absolute war and a complete display of heart, grit, determination and the will to win from both athletes. This five-round classic will always be remembered as one of the best, and I can’t wait to induct this fight into the UFC Hall of Fame this summer.”

Lawler vs. MacDonald 2 joins the 2023 UFC Hall of Fame class alongside the inductions of former UFC champions Anderson Silva, Jose Aldo and Jens Pulver.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 287.

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Conor McGregor def. Chad Mendes at UFC 189: Best photos

Check out these photos highlighting Conor McGregor’s TKO win over Chad Mendes to claim the interim featherweight title at UFC 189. 

Check out these photos highlighting [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag]’s TKO win over Chad Mendes to claim the interim featherweight title at UFC 189. (Photos by Joe Camporeale, USA TODAY Sports)

KOs, chaos and controversy: 5 moments that rocked UFC ‘International Fight Week’

MMA Junkie’s Simon Head looks back at five memorable moments from UFC “International Fight Week” down the years.

The UFC’s annual MMA celebration, “International Fight Week,” is one of the most keenly-awaited moments of the year, as the promotion stacks the deck with multiple title fights and, sometimes, multiple cards in Las Vegas for a full week of fan-friendly events, capped off by a stacked show (or two or three).

This year’s “International Fight Week” was supposed be this week, but the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic put those plans on the shelf. The UFC instead  is in Abu Dhabi for a 14-day, four-event run on Yas Island.

“International Fight Week” has certainly produced some remarkable memories down the years, so here at The Blue Corner we’ve taken a look back to pick out some of the biggest moments served up by the UFC’s annual summer jamboree.

Here, in chronological order, are five UFC “International Fight Week” moments that will live long in the memory.

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2013: Weidman starches Silva at UFC 162

[autotag]Anderson Silva[/autotag] was on top of the world heading into Las Vegas in 2013. “The Spider” arrived in Las Vegas riding a 17-fight winning streak. He’d defended the UFC middleweight title 10 times and had even found time to jump up to light heavyweight and score a trio of impressive finishes, including stoppages of “TUF 1” legends Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar.

It seemed as if Silva could do no wrong, but when he stepped into the octagon at the Mandalay Bay to take on the unbeaten New Yorker [autotag]Chris Weidman[/autotag], few could have predicted the outcome.

Silva looked loose and confident. Overconfident, as it turned out. While the champion clowned and taunted Weidman, the young challenger stayed composed as he refused to be goaded into opening up by the Brazilian. Then, just moments after Silva had waved him in and pretended to be hurt by a punch, Weidman found Silva’s chin and hit the jackpot.

A huge left hand landed perfectly on Silva’s chin and dropped the champion hard. He looked almost done at that point, but Weidman wasn’t taking any chances and pounced on “The Spider” to finish the fight with heavy ground strikes. It left the MMA world stunned as the man painted by some as an untouchable champion was finally beaten, and in emphatic fashion, too.

Weidman’s knockout victory still ranks as one of the most stunning upsets ever seen in a UFC championship fight and it elicited a classic – and true – quote from Joe Rogan, who said, “You can’t play games in the octagon.”

Silva found that out to his cost, and the Brazilian legend has never held UFC championship gold since.

Next up: A rising star goes stratospheric

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UFC 189 free fight: Relive Conor McGregor’s thrilling comeback over Chad Mendes

Relive Conor McGregor’s thrilling comeback win over Chad Mendes at UFC 189.

When [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] faced real adversity in the octagon for the first time, he showed the heart of a champion.

McGregor (22-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC) was scheduled to challenge then-UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo for the title at UFC 189, but after Aldo was forced out due to injury, he faced [autotag]Chad Mendes[/autotag] for the interim featherweight title instead.

Right out of the gate, McGregor stalked and taunted Mendes, attacking the body with a variety of different kicks.

But Mendes eventually started closing the distance, finding a home for his overhand rights. Just under the three-minute mark, Mendes landed a takedown. He dropped an elbow in top position, causing a gash on McGregor’s forehead.

McGregor made his way back up, continuing to punish Mendes’ body, but Mendes landed another takedown late in the round.

In Round 2, it was visibly clear that Mendes started to slow down, with McGregor stuffing his first takedown attempt. McGregor stuck with his game plan, poking at Mendes’ body, but was eventually taken down again just a minute into the round.

After riding top control for the majority of the round, Mendes attempted a guillotine choke, but McGregor spun out and went straight on the attack. He backed Mendes to the cage, landing multiple combinations followed by a perfect left that sent him to the canvas.

McGregor was crowned interim 145-pound champion, in a come-from-behind win where he had to dig deep. Five months later at UFC 194, McGregor unified the belts by knocking Aldo out in just 13 seconds to claim the undisputed featherweight champion.

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UFC free fight: Relive the Robbie Lawler-Rory MacDonald classic

Courtesy of the UFC, have another look at the battle many have called the greatest in MMA history.

If someone compiles a list of the greatest mixed martial arts bouts of all-time and does not include [autotag]Robbie Lawler[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Rory MacDonald[/autotag] at UFC 189, that list can be safely ignored.

Many consider Lawler’s successful defense of the UFC welterweight title on July 11, 2015 in Las Vegas to be the single greatest fight in the sport’s history. Regardless where you specifically rank Lawler’s fifth-round TKO victory in their rematch (Lawler took a split decision of the first meeting at UFC 167), it belongs somewhere on the short list of most memorable fights, a battle which was equal parts skill, heart, and determination.

With the MMA world shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic, there’s rarely been a better time to relive classic fights. And there are few better fights to give another look than this thriller.

The UFC is helping fill the void by making this fight free to watch. Watch the video above to go back in time and enjoy an all-time great battle.

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UFC Fight Pass therapy: 10 classic events to keep you entertained during the coronavirus shutdown

MMA Junkie’s Simon Head picks out a 10-event UFC Fight Pass watch list to ease your lockdown blues.

With the sporting world at a standstill, resources like UFC Fight Pass are proving essential for MMA fans looking to get their fix during the coronavirus lockdown.

The UFC’s streaming platform’s colossal archive offers a huge range of events to sit back and enjoy. Love the old-school PRIDE shows? They’ve got those. Hankering for the days of the WEC? They’ve got the full archive. And, of course, there’s the entire UFC event archive.

It means you can build a watchlist packed with some of the best MMA you could ever wish to see, and more than enough to last you through the entire coronavirus lockdown.

But if you’re going to dive in, why not dive in with some of the most significant events in UFC history, with maybe a couple of hidden gems thrown in for good measure? Here’s a watchlist to get you started.

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1. UFC 1

You can’t really start a journey like this anywhere other than at the very beginning.

Put simply, the event is iconic. The school sports hall-like surrounds of the McNichols Sports Arena, Bill “Superfoot” Wallace calling the event the “Ultimate Fighting Challenge,” Teila Tuli’s flying tooth and Art Jimmerson’s one boxing glove will all live long in the memory.

But, of course, UFC 1 was all about one man and one discipline, as a scrawny young sibling of the famed Gracie family stepped into the octagon, beat three men in one night and opened the world’s eyes to the wizardry of Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

Sure, it was crude – the rules were virtually non-existent back then – but it was the start of what the UFC has grown into today. Such has been the evolution of the sport since then, watching the fuzzy UFC 1 footage now is the MMA equivalent of viewing cave drawings of how man first started using tools. But, crucially, it was both eye-catching and entertaining, and it serves as a handy reminder of just how far the sport has evolved since that day.

If you watch UFC 1, you’ll probably want to watch UFC 2, then 3. But we’ll leave that to your own UFC Fight Pass rabbit hole. Instead, we’re jumping forward.

Next up: The first BIG rivalry in UFC history.

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UFC 246 Fighter Flashback: Conor McGregor on Chael Sonnen comparisons

In this video from the MMA Junkie archives, Conor McGregor chats to reporters at the UFC 189 open workouts and tells a Brazilian reporter why he’s different to fellow MMA trash-talker Chael Sonnen.

In this video from the MMA Junkie archives, Conor McGregor chats to reporters at the UFC 189 open workouts and tells a Brazilian reporter why he’s different to fellow MMA trash-talker Chael Sonnen.

UFC 246 Fighter Flashback: Conor McGregor arrives in Brazil, rips up Jose Aldo poster in Rio bar

Relive the moment when Conor McGregor played darts and tore up a Jose Aldo poster in a Rio de Janeiro bar during the UFC 189 world tour.

[autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] and Donald Cerrone will kick off the 2020 UFC pay-per-view schedule Jan. 18 when they headline UFC 246 in Las Vegas. The fight serves as McGregor’s highly anticipated return to the octagon after 14 months, while Cerrone receives the biggest opportunity of his nearly 14-year career. As part of an occasional series ahead of the matchup, let’s flash back to a memorable McGregor moment when he kicked off the UFC 189 promotional world tour with an appearance in a Rio de Janeiro bar.

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When it was announced the UFC would take Conor McGregor and Jose Aldo on a multi-stop world tour to promote their scheduled UFC featherweight title clash at UFC 189, a few eyebrows were raised. How would the Brazilian fans react to the divisive, trash-talking McGregor when he arrived in Aldo’s home town? While he may not have been universally popular with the Brazilian fans, he certainly found plenty of support in a Rio bar ahead of the first set-piece press conference of the tour.

Amid chaotic scenes in a packed bar, McGregor threw darts at a picture of Aldo before turning to face the packed room, removing his shirt and donning a pair of sunglasses.

Then came the moment that would be replayed countless times as part of the plethora of pre-fight promos ahead of his (subsequently rescheduled) clash with Aldo at UFC 194, as he was handed a poster of the “King of Rio.” McGregor raised the poster aloft for the assembled bar-goers to see, then took it in both hands and slowly tore it in half, roaring with glee as he did so. You can relive the moment in our video above.

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It effectively drew the battle lines ahead of a world tour that saw McGregor gain the clear mental edge over an increasingly tired and frustrated Aldo. And, when the pair met inside the octagon at MGM Grand Garden Arena on Dec. 12, 2015, the Irishman had one more ace up his sleeve in the form of a perfectly timed left hand that claimed the most dramatic knockout ever seen inside the octagon. He finished Aldo and snapped the Brazilian’s decade-long winning streak in just 13 seconds.

Now the big-fight anticipation is back. McGregor (21-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) makes his long-awaited return to the octagon at UFC 246 in Las Vegas, where he’ll face off against fellow fan favorite Donald Cerrone (36-13 MMA, 23-10 UFC) on Jan. 18.

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