5. UFC 189: McGregor vs. Mendes
There was something a bit different about UFC 189.
For starters, the opening of the show was different. Gone was the nu-metal thrashing of Stemm’s “Face The Pain.” Instead we had a dubstep mix of … Stemm’s “Face The Pain.” Then we had the UFC’s new on-screen graphics. They’re part of the furniture now, of course, but it looked so fresh, clean and sharp when they made their pay-per-view debut in July 2015.
But while some of the window dressing may have been a little different, it was the fights that delivered the goods as, after a relatively slow preliminary card, the final prelim between Matt Brown and Tim Means lit the blue touchpaper for arguably the most spectacular main card in UFC history.
All five fights produced finishes, with two flying knees, one sublime submission and a pair of TKO finishes in the night’s two title fights. The co-main event between Robbie Lawler and Rory MacDonald remains one of the most grueling toe-to-toe title fights we’ve ever seen inside the octagon, while Conor McGregor’s come-from-behind performance against Chad Mendes in the main event saw the Dubliner launched into the stratosphere as he became the biggest star in the sport.
The fights were outstanding, the finishes were spectacular, and the crowd was electric. We even had Sinead O’Connor. It was an unforgettable night, and one that is well worth a second, or third, look.
Next up: ‘I’m not surprised motherf*ckers’