UFC 189 is finally almost upon us, minus the much-hyped featherweight title fight between champion Jose Aldo and challenger Coner McGregor. Instead, McGregor is fighting featherweight standout Chad Mendes, who has already challenged Aldo twice and lost.
I am personally thrilled with the switch. McGregor has advanced mainly through the strength of his promotability, and has never even fought a top 5 fighter on his way to the belt. Conor is a gifted striker, but so far he has only knocked down guys who were set up for him. If he can beat an iron-chinned wrestler like Mendes, then he will have proved that he deserves to be in the cage with Aldo.
If Mendes wins, however, it will be a nightmare for the UFC. They will have lost much of the heat that they built up for the eventual Aldo/McGregor fight, and there is little interest among fans in seeing Mendes fight Aldo a third time. The kicker is that Mendes may have an even better chance against McGregor than Aldo did. Aldo is a Muay Thai specialist who will engage with Conor on the feet, while Mendes will be looking to stifle his opponent’s offense and dominate him with superior wrestling. Add to this the fact that Chad Mendes has only ever been finished by Jose Aldo throughout his professional career and we see that McGregor’s reach and power will be put to the test tonight.
Waiting in the wings are Frankie Edgar, who has been on a win streak since his loss to Aldo in 2013, and Ricardo Lamas, who since 2011 has lost to only Aldo and Mendes.
Noticing a pattern? Jose Aldo has not only already beaten the top talent in his weight class, he has also gone undefeated since 2005 for a total of 18 wins in a row. Aldo is undefeated in the UFC, having come over with the WEC lightweight belt around his waist. In the UFC, Aldo has defended once or twice per year, and defends on average more than most current UFC champions.
Which is why it is so backwards and wrong that the UFC is making tonight’s main event an interim title match. The decision is based off of promotional concerns and personal issues, without any semblance of integrity or fairness. This encapsulates the way that the UFC has handled this fight from the start.
The UFC has spent too many resources on promoting this fight to pull McGregor, or to water down the main event. That’s fine, but an interim title is completely inappropriate in this situation. Jose Aldo has defended his title within the last 12 months, and will return from his injury along a predictable timeline. No interim title was created when TJ Dillashaw dropped out of the Barao rematch with a broken rib, and his last title defense came two months before Aldo’s.
The way that the UFC handled Aldo’s injury was most troubling of all. The UFC did not call off the fight after doctors diagnosed the broken rib via CAT scan. Instead, UFC President Dana White insisted that Aldo had suffered a cartilage bruise, and that Aldo would still fight. The champion seemed ready to go along at first, but a few day later the announcement came from Aldo’s camp that Jose was dropping the fight due to a broken rib. Mendes was called up on about two weeks notice.
White continues to insist that Aldo’s rib is not broken, but I’m inclined to believe that the first set of doctors got their diagnosis right the first time. A broken rib is not hard to diagnose, especially with a sophisticated medical scan such as a CAT scan. A bruise is not easily mistaken for a break on medical imaging, because a bruise is diagnosed in the absence of evidence of a break. If the first set of doctors saw a break on CAT scan, then there was and is a break. An x-ray alone could have told you this. Dana is famous for shooting off his mouth, but this time he’s screwing with a fighter’s health and professional reputation. Even more disturbing, the Nevada State Athletic Commission seemed ready to let the fight go on.
There’s always the chance that I’m wrong, but like I said, I’m more inclined to believe the first set of doctors who treated and diagnosed Aldo then anyone else in this situation.
All this because Jose Aldo has dared to speak his mind on the issue of fighter pay, and because the UFC thinks that it can sell more PPVs with Dana’s newest butt-buddy Conor McGregor than with Jose Aldo.
Just remember that Aldo will be back, more motivated than ever. Men with massive facial scars don’t generally scare easily.
Preceding the Mendes/McGregor circus will be the only real title fight on the card, and I’m super-stoked. Robbie Lawler defends his welterweight title against Rory MacDonald in what promises to be a barn-burner. Lawler’s long journey to the top is one of my favorite storylines in modern MMA. A gritty knockout artist, Lawler has increased his technical prowess with each successive fight, including two brutal 25 minute battles with former champion Johny Hendricks. MacDonald makes up for the disparity in power with his reach and his technical ability, but was beaten by Lawler last time in a split decision. Both fighters have grown and evolved since then, and I’m looking forward to seeing what each brings to the table the second time around. MacDonald will be fighting to bring a title back to the Great White North, while Lawler will be fighting to hold on to what has taken him so long to obtain.
Both of these men also fought and won on the UFC on FOX: Johnson vs. Moraga card, the very first card ever covered by Rabbit Punch Sports blog back in July of 2013. Almost two years later, these men will collide for the welterweight belt. At the time, I also praised MacDonald’s technical ability and Lawler’s power. Tonight, Rory will have to show greater offensive output, while Robbie will have to neutralize and counter Rory’s game plan.
As always, you can get at Kevin J on Twitter @KevJMahon during the main card.
Keep your hands up and defend yourself at all times, and enjoy the fights tonight with us here at Rabbit Punch!
