Conor McGregor Wins UFC 189
12 Jul, 2015
Conor McGregor spent much of the first two rounds on his back while Chad Mendes threw elbows at his head, and yet his screaming Irish fans kept faith.
During his meteoric rise in the UFC, McGregor has sold his self-confidence with enough flair to turn most anybody into a believer in his invincibility, even in the face of 9 1/2 minutes of contrary evidence.
And when the trash-talking mixed martial arts sensation finally got free late in the second round, he backed up every single word.
McGregor won the interim featherweight title at UFC 189 on Saturday night, stopping Mendes with three seconds left in the second round while emphatically arriving as one of the promotion’s biggest stars.
After struggling to break free from Mendes’ suffocating wrestling and ground game, McGregor (18-2) finished the fight with a lightning-quick combination after Mendes failed on a submission attempt. A big left hand put Mendes down, and McGregor pounded away for the stoppage before jumping onto the cage in celebration.
“Tonight, I’m going to toast good business,” McGregor said. “And it was damn good business. … It’s a crazy game, and you know, I absolutely love it.”
McGregor later sank to his knees in tears, an Irish flag in his hands, while the standing-room-only crowd at the MGM Grand Garden Arena roared. The loquacious ex-plumber from Dublin has now made good on just about every boast and threat he ever issued – and there have been thousands.
Mendes (17-3) stepped in for injured featherweight champion Jose Aldo just 2 1/2 weeks ago, and the elite wrestler was in control of the fight until McGregor’s heavy hands changed everything in an instant.
Mendes embraced McGregor in sportsmanship after a promotion dominated by high-level trash talk, most of it from a bearded, tattooed Irishman who already looks comfortable with a title belt around his waist.
AP
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