Conor McGregor defeats Chad Mendes by KO/TKO
McGregor vs Mendes — Interim Featherweight Title · UFC 189: Mendes vs. McGregor
What happened
The result, the defining moments, and what the verdict means.
Mendes controlled much of the first round with three takedowns and opened a cut beside McGregor's right eye with a sharp punch.
Mendes again controlled McGregor in the second round with punches and elbows before the finish turned the fight.
McGregor slowed Mendes with punches, dropped him near the fence with a right jab and crossing left, and finished the late flurry.
- Official UFC resultsMcGregor finishes Mendes in the second
Pre-fight analysis — how we saw it going in
Case for McGregor
McGregor had the range, body work and left hand that had carried his featherweight rise, but this was the first UFC matchup built to drag him into extended wrestling. His path was to punish Mendes every time the fight reset and make the short-notice challenger pay for the pace.
Case for Mendes
Mendes' case was wrestling urgency. If he could keep McGregor underneath him, the interim title fight would become about takedowns, elbows and fatigue instead of open-space striking.
What We Were Watching For
- How often Mendes gets beneath McGregor's hips before the Irishman can settle into kicking range.
- McGregor's body work after each reset; those shots become more important as Mendes slows.
- The late second-round scramble: one defended guillotine turns into the finishing sequence.
Records & career stats
- 17-2-0
- Record
- 17-3-0
- 2-3 last 5
- Recent formRecent formWin–loss record over the fighter’s last five bouts, newest first, as carried in their UFC/FightMetric career stats.
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- Ireland
- Nationality
- United States
- 37
- Age
- —
- 1.75 m
- Height
- —
- 188 cm
- Reach
- —
- Southpaw
- StanceStanceWhich side a fighter leads from — a striking term, not a religious one. Orthodox: right-handed, left foot and hand forward (the common default). Southpaw: the mirror image, right side forward (usually a left-hander). Switch: changes between the two during a fight.
- —
- 91%
- Finish rateFinish %Finish rateThe share of a fighter’s wins that ended inside the distance — by KO/TKO or submission — rather than going to the judges’ scorecards. Higher means more finishes.
- —
- 19
- Wins by KO/TKOKO wins
- —
- 1
- Wins by submissionSub wins
- —
- 5.27
- Sig. strikes landed / minStr / minSignificant strikes landed per minuteAverage number of significant strikes a fighter lands for every minute of fight time — a read on striking output and pace. From UFC/FightMetric career stats.
- —
- 4.71
- Sig. strikes absorbed / minAbs / minSignificant strikes absorbed per minuteAverage number of significant strikes a fighter takes for every minute of fight time. Lower is better — it means they get hit less often. From UFC/FightMetric career stats.
- —
- 54%
- Striking defenseStrike def.Striking defenseThe percentage of opponents’ significant strikes that do not land — strikes slipped, blocked or evaded. Higher is better. Not the same as striking accuracy, which counts your own strikes that land. From UFC/FightMetric.
- —
- 67%
- Takedown defenseTD def.Takedown defenseThe percentage of opponents’ takedown attempts that are stuffed. Higher means harder to put on the mat. From UFC/FightMetric.
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- 07:35
- Avg. fight timeAvg. timeAverage fight timeThe mean length of the fighter’s bouts (minutes:seconds) — a rough read on whether they tend to finish early or go the distance. From UFC/FightMetric.
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- Welterweight (moving down)
- Weight classWeight
- Featherweight
Career stats per UFC.com; recent form is each fighter's last five bouts. Record is as of fight night; career stats, recent form and win totals are the latest on file and may include this fight. Bars compare each stat on a fixed scale; the “Edge” marker flags the leading corner where the gap is meaningful. The snapshot plots five career rates — output, striking defense, durability (strikes absorbed, inverted), takedown defense and finish rate — each normalised on its own scale.
Videos
Outcome footage, post-fight coverage, and the pre-fight lead-up.
Before the fight (1)
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