UFC 189 In-Depth Preview

It’s finally UFC 189 fight week, as we get ready to take in the monster event this Saturday, July 11th, 2015. The card took a hit when UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo was forced to step back due to a rib injury, but softening the blow was late replacement Chad Mendes. The Team Alpha Male title hopeful has beef that goes way back with Conor McGregor, and we’ll finally get to see the brash Irishman in the octagon with a world class NCAA wrestler. Robbie Lawler and Rory MacDonald play second fiddle in the co-main event, with little fan-fair for their welterweight title tilt, it should be added.

So, what’s the skinny on UFC 189? Well, all for their own reasons, each of the five main card bouts deserves delving in to. With one of the sickest cards of the year, featuring Matt Brown vs. Tim Means on the prelims (!), check out the UFC 189 In-Depth Preview:

Brad Pickett vs. Thomas Almeida

Thankfully returning to the bantamweight division, former flyweight and Cage Rage/WEC veteran Brad Pickett will look to bounce back from two straight losses. He faces no easy task in Las Vegas this weekend, as he takes on undefeated 23-year old Chute Box prospect Thomas Almeida. ‘One Punch’ is known for his exciting style, but also likes to take a few shots along the way. He can either be a proving test for the young up-and-comer, or play spoiler to the Brazilian party.

‘Thominhas’ finally debuted in the UFC with a fight of the night performance against Tim Gorman in late 2014, following up with a nasty TKO win over Yves Jabouin at UFC 186 this past April. A win over Pickett would put Almeida’s tally at 20-0 (3-0 UFC) and would likely stake a pretty decent claim to a top five showdown for the Chute Box banger. For ‘One Punch’, a loss is probably going to signal the end of an exciting 11-year career, at least in the big leagues of the UFC.

I’m unsure if Pickett’s sock ’em style is enough to overcome the sniper-like Muay Thai of Almeida, but stranger things have happened…

Gunnar Nelson vs. Brandon Thatch

This is a great fight, featuring two of the brightest prospects in the 170-pound division. Each man is looking to rebound from their first losses under the Zuffa banner, for ‘Gunni’ it was his first ever defeat. Thatch was looking like a cold killer in the division as he wrecked his way to a three-fight promotional spree, including first round stoppages against Paulo Thiago, Justin Edwards and Mike Rhodes. He bit off more than he could chew against the new-looking Benson Henderson, but even so put in a respectable performance.

Nelson was surprisingly dominated by Rick Story back in October 2014, as it seemed the UFC was trying to promote another unbeaten star from SBG Ireland, and ‘The Horror’ played spoiler in a big way. The tricky Icelandic grappler will have his hands full with the gigantic ‘Rukus’, who’s style is more aggressive than anyone Nelson has met previously. This bout is also interesting because it will send one of the promotion’s formerly sizzling prospects on to a two-fight losing skid. It’s worth noting that John Hathaway was the original opponent for ‘Gunni’, with Thatch stepping up on short notice when the Englishman pulled out in late June.

Will it be the BJJ world champion or the Grudge Training Center phenom?

Dennis Bermudez vs. Jeremy Stephens

This is a wuality pairing of two highly talented featherweights in need of a big win. ‘The Menace’ may have seen his seven-fight win streak snapped by Ricardo Lamas at UFC 180, but that’s not to say the Long Island MMA product hasn’t got more to offer. With wins over Clay Guida, Jimmy Hettes, Steven Siler and Mx Holloway, the TUF (The Ultimate Fighter) 14 veteran certainly belongs in the top 10, but the question is how far up? He faces in Stephens, a man likely fighting for his UFC contract.

Two straight losses to Cub Swanson and Charles Oliveira have showcased that ‘Lil’ Heathen’ has a lot of guts, and is still exciting even in defeat, but also is signifying a possible end to his current UFC stint. Having lost five from his last eight, Stephens has his back against the wall, and the Alliance MMA fighter will want to keep his eight-year job with the UFC going with a big win. ‘The Menace’ is very explosive and quick, whereas Stephens has more of a slugger style.

Both have wrestling experience, but something tells me we won’t see much of that on fight night. All considered, this could easily be an early front runner for ‘Fight of the night’…..

Robbie Lawler vs. Rory MacDonald

This fight is being thoroughly overshadowed for a few reasons. Firstly, it was originally going up against the highly anticipated featherweight title bout between Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor. That fight is now history, or still potentially future, but what were left with in the form of Chad Mendes vs. Conor McGregor is still all kinds of awesome. Another reason is that neither man is particularly known for their excessive promotion in the lead up to their fights, but it’s still quite surprising given that the 170-pound division is one of the UFC’s deepest talent pools. Plus, Lawler and MacDonald already have history.

‘Ruthless’ fought to a split decision win over ‘Ares’ at UFC 167, going on to win the belt in his second fight with Johny Hendricks 181 after two more wins. The young Canadian has danced around the top of the division since the GSP days, and now finally gets his chance to secure his spot in the history books. The Tristar prospect is on a three fight spree, including wins over Tyron Woodley, Demian Maia and a dominant finish over Tarec Saffiedine.

Fighting out of American Top Team, Lawler is a very experienced veteran of the UFC, Strikeforce, Pride FC, Elite XC and KOTC (King Of The Cage), and has battled through the early days of the UFC, arguably never looking better than he has recently. Can the war torn veteran turn away the young lion, or is it MacDonald’s time to shine in the co-main event at UFC 189?

Changing of the guard?

Conor McGregor vs. Chad Mendes

The sudden and unexpected loss of Jose Aldo has been bitter-sweet for UFC 189; pretty sweet for fans of both fighters and their rivalry, and bitter for the UFC after having plugged Aldo vs. McGregor with tons of press. The #2 contender in the 145-pound division, ‘Money’ has been in the octagon twice with the Brazilian champion, and the second showing was a hell of a fight. He has undoubtedly picked up some invaluable experience through his two title fights, and will look to bring the second title to the growing Team Alpha Male camp.

SBG (Straight Blast Gym) prospectand #3 ranked Conor McGregor rolls in to Las Vegas this weekend on a long hype train, having burst on to the scene just two years ago with a win over Marcus Brimage, and brought MMA to life in his native Ireland. The highly touted striker has seen unprecedented amounts of press in his short stint thus far, and will hope to pave the way to the gargantuan title fight with the Brazilian boss that looms on the horizon. Facing a high level wrestler like Mendes will truly show us how far McGregor might be able to go, or where his limits lie in terms of his championship hopes.

Where McGregor has the advantage is in the height/reach, as well as how diverse his striking attack is. Mendes, on the other hand, has the ace of wrestling up his sleeve, but also devastating power in both hands. Something tells me that ‘Money’ won’t want to test his striking for the entire five rounds, and that an early takedown with top control will be a big part of the gameplan. We know that the Irish marksman doesn’t train for specific styles, has that only worked so far because he has faced predominantly strikers in the UFC?

We’ll finally get to see, at the very least, who’s balls will be rested on their opponent’s forehead.