UFC 189: Mendes vs. McGregor | Event Profile, Full Results & Legacy
- Tito Wordsmith
- 4 days ago
- 7 min read
Introduction
UFC 189: Mendes vs. McGregor. July 11, 2015. MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas. One of the most significant events in UFC history and arguably one of the finest single cards ever presented. Conor McGregor won the interim UFC Featherweight Championship by TKO of Chad Mendes in round two. Robbie Lawler defended the WW title against Rory MacDonald in a fight inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame as one of the greatest in the promotion’s history. 825,000 PPV buys. The first UFC event with Reebok fight kits.
The event was originally headlined by Jose Aldo (c) vs. McGregor’s long-anticipated FW title fight. Aldo withdrew with a rib injury on June 30 — 12 days before the event. Mendes accepted on short notice. McGregor’s entrance was scored by Sinéad O’Connor singing ‘Foggy Dew’ live. Mendes’s entrance featured Aaron Lewis performing ‘Country Boy’ live.
The co-main event between Lawler and MacDonald is cited as one of the greatest fights in UFC history. Both men were bloodied, MacDonald’s nose was broken, his foot was broken, and Lawler’s lip was severely cut. Lawler stopped MacDonald with a left hand at the one-minute mark of round five. The fight was named 2015 Fight of the Year by multiple outlets and inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2023.
Contents
Quick Stats
Date: July 11, 2015
Venue: MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
PPV: 825,000 buys
Original Main Event: Jose Aldo (c) vs. Conor McGregor (FW Championship) — Aldo withdrew with rib injury June 30 (12 days out)
Main Event: Conor McGregor vs. Chad Mendes (short notice) — Interim FW Championship
Result: McGregor def. Mendes — TKO R2, 4:57 — Mendes: 4 TDs + elbows from top; McGregor escaped late R2; Mendes exhausted; McGregor combo TKO with 3 sec remaining in R2
Co-Main: Lawler def. Rory MacDonald — TKO (Left Hand) R5, 1:00 — WW title; FIGHT OF THE YEAR 2015; inducted UFC Hall of Fame 2023; MacDonald broken nose + foot; both bloodied
Notable: FIRST Reebok fight kits event; live musical entrances; Sinead O’Connor (McGregor) + Aaron Lewis (Mendes)
Bonuses: FOTN: Lawler/MacDonald ($50k each); POTN: McGregor + Almeida ($50k each)
The Build-Up
McGregor had been building toward Aldo for 18 months. He had publicly dismantled Aldo’s mental composure across multiple press conferences, media days, and interviews — knocking a hat from Aldo’s head at a World Tour stop and generating more pre-fight attention than any FW title fight in history. Aldo’s withdrawal on June 30 — the day media were already in Las Vegas for fight week — was greeted with a mixture of frustration and excitement.
Mendes had been training already for another fight and accepted on approximately 12 days’ notice. He was 2-0 vs. Aldo (split, then TKO), had lost twice to Aldo’s judo, and entered as a wrestling-based threat capable of neutralising McGregor’s striking. The fight was billed around McGregor’s chin, his ground game, and whether he could survive two rounds of wrestling.
Main Event
Conor McGregor vs. Chad Mendes — Interim UFC FW Championship
Mendes validated every concern about McGregor’s wrestling defence in round one. He landed a takedown almost immediately, achieved top position, and dropped short elbows from inside McGregor’s guard. McGregor worked from the bottom but Mendes landed cleanly. A second takedown followed. McGregor was bloodied above the eye before the round ended.
Round two: Mendes took McGregor down again and worked ground-and-pound. McGregor was on the bottom for much of the round and appeared close to a stoppage at multiple points. With approximately 25 seconds remaining, Mendes attempted a guillotine. McGregor escaped to his feet. Mendes — exhausted from two rounds of carrying McGregor — stood flat-footed. McGregor landed a one-two combination. Mendes crumbled. Herb Dean stopped it at 4:57 — three seconds from the end of round two.
Conor McGregor won the interim UFC Featherweight Championship. He broke down in the cage, addressing his family and his circle directly. The performance answered the question of whether he could survive wrestling adversity.
Co-Main Event
Robbie Lawler (c) vs. Rory MacDonald — UFC WW Championship
Lawler and MacDonald had fought once before, at UFC 167 in November 2013, where Lawler won a split decision on his way to the WW title. The rematch was a different fight at a different level. Both men opened with precise technical work in round one before the fight became a sustained, mutual destruction across five rounds.
MacDonald’s nose was broken inside the first two rounds. Both fighters bled continuously. MacDonald nearly stopped Lawler with a head kick in round three that left the champion on unsteady legs for the rest of the round. In round five, Lawler threw a short left hand that landed flush on MacDonald’s already-shattered nose. MacDonald covered his face with both hands and fell to the canvas. Referee Big John McCarthy stopped the fight at 1:00 of round five.
MacDonald also sustained a broken foot during the fight. Lawler’s lip was cut severely. Both men went to hospital post-fight — and both were photographed together there. The fight was named 2015 Fight of the Year by Sherdog, MMA Fighting, and multiple other outlets. It was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame’s Fight Wing in 2023.
Full Results
Preliminary Card
Cody Pfister def. Yosdenis Cedeno — Decision (Unanimous) — R3 — LW
Cody Garbrandt def. Henry Briones — Decision (Unanimous) — R3 — BW; Garbrandt continuing rise (future BW champion)
John Howard def. Cathal Pendred — Decision (Split) — R3 — WW
Louis Smolka def. Neil Seery — Decision (Unanimous) — R3 — FW
Alex Garcia def. Mike Swick — Decision (Unanimous) — R3 — WW
Matt Brown def. Tim Means — Sub (Guillotine) — R1, 4:44 — WW
Main Card
Thomas Almeida def. Brad Pickett — KO (Flying Knee) — R2, 0:29 — BW; POTN ($50k to Almeida)
Gunnar Nelson def. Brandon Thatch — Sub (RNC) — R1, 2:54 — WW
Jeremy Stephens def. Dennis Bermudez — TKO (Flying Knee) — R3 — FW; Stephens missed weight; not eligible for bonus
Robbie Lawler def. Rory MacDonald — TKO (Punch) — R5, 1:00 — WW Championship; FOTN ($50k each); FIGHT OF THE YEAR 2015; UFC Hall of Fame 2023; MacDonald broken nose + foot
Interim UFC FW Championship — Main Event
Conor McGregor def. Chad Mendes — TKO (Punches) — R2, 4:57 — Interim FW Championship; McGregor survived 4 TDs + elbows; escaped guillotine; TKO with 3 sec left in R2; POTN ($50k)
Bonuses & Awards
Fight of the Night: Robbie Lawler vs. Rory MacDonald — $50,000 to each fighter.
Performance of the Night: Conor McGregor + Thomas Almeida — $50,000 each.
Records & Milestones
Conor McGregor — interim FW championship win; first Irish UFC champion. The build-up to Jose Aldo was one of the sport’s most sustained and successful promotional campaigns. Mendes’s replacement on 12 days’ notice made McGregor’s TKO win over a short-notice wrestler a statement performance.
Robbie Lawler vs. MacDonald — inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame’s Fight Wing in 2023; named Fight of the Year 2015 by Sherdog, MMA Fighting, and multiple outlets. Regarded by many as the single greatest WW title fight in UFC history.
First Reebok fight kits event — UFC 189 on July 11, 2015 was the first card where the new Reebok uniform/kit partnership was in effect for all fighters.
Live musical entrances — Sinéad O’Connor performed ‘The Foggy Dew’ for McGregor; Aaron Lewis performed ‘Country Boy’ for Mendes. First UFC event with live musical pre-fight performances for main event fighters.
Legacy & Impact
UFC 189 is the event that made Conor McGregor the sport’s dominant commercial force. His win over Mendes was the first time he had been tested with sustained wrestling in the UFC, and he survived everything the short-notice specialist threw at him before finishing him at the death. The story — almost defeated, survived by sheer will, TKO with three seconds on the clock — was perfectly shaped for the mainstream audience McGregor was already attracting.
The co-main event between Lawler and MacDonald operates on a different register: one of the most technically complete while physically brutal title fights in the sport’s history. Two WW contenders operating at the limit of what the human body can sustain. MacDonald’s broken nose, his broken foot, and his absolute refusal to stop pursuing the fight across five rounds is among the sport’s most extreme displays of competitive will. UFC 189 delivered both the spectacle fight and the fighting fight on the same card.
FAQ
Why was Jose Aldo not in the UFC 189 main event?
Aldo withdrew with a rib injury on June 30, 2015 — 12 days before UFC 189. Chad Mendes accepted the replacement booking on approximately 12 days’ notice. Aldo eventually fought McGregor at UFC 194 in December 2015, losing by KO in 13 seconds.
How did McGregor win after being dominated by Mendes’ wrestling?
Mendes secured four takedowns across two rounds and worked ground-and-pound. With approximately 25 seconds left in round two, Mendes attempted a guillotine. McGregor escaped and rose to his feet. Mendes — exhausted from the effort — stood flat-footed. McGregor landed a combination that finished the fight at 4:57, three seconds from the end of the round.
What made Lawler vs. MacDonald 2 so historic?
Both fighters absorbed extraordinary damage across five rounds. MacDonald’s nose was broken. His foot was broken. Lawler’s lip was severely cut. MacDonald had Lawler on the verge of a stoppage with a head kick in round three. Lawler finished with a short left hand on MacDonald’s broken nose at 1:00 of round five. The fight was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2023 and is considered by many the greatest WW title fight in UFC history.
What was significant about the Reebok kits at UFC 189?
UFC 189 was the first card where the UFC’s new Reebok partnership was in effect. All fighters wore standardised Reebok kits with their name and country. The partnership replaced individual fighter sponsorships on fight night apparel. It took effect July 11, 2015.
What happened with McGregor and Aldo after UFC 189?
Conor McGregor and Jose Aldo met for the undisputed FW title at UFC 194 on December 12, 2015 in Las Vegas. McGregor knocked out Aldo with a left hand 13 seconds into round one — the fastest finish in FW championship history.
References
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