CHAD MENDES WILL take on Ireland’s Conor McGregor in next Saturday’s UFC 189 main event, but there’ll be a lot more than the interim featherweight title bout to keep you entertained.
1. Gunnar Nelson is back
Having tasted his first defeat when he fought Rick Story back in October, adopted Irishman Gunnar Nelson makes his long-awaited return. He’ll face another man who’s coming in on the back of the first loss of his UFC career — Brandon Thatch — in the second bout on Saturday’s main card. Two exciting welterweights keen to return to winning ways; this one is sure to deliver.
2. The welterweight title is on the line
Perhaps the best example of how much of a superstar Conor McGregor has become is that his presence on the UFC 189 bill has caused another title bout to fly completely under the radar. Robbie Lawler’s inaugural defence of the 170lbs strap against Rory MacDonald has to settle for being the penultimate bout of the night, but it’s still one of the most exciting match-ups that you could possibly make in the UFC today. A rematch of their 2013 bout when Lawler won by split decision, both fighters have improved significantly since then. Lawler is aiming to make the first successful defence of the belt since it was in the hands of Georges St Pierre, but St Pierre’s Tristar team-mate will have other ideas.
3. Cathal Pendred is looking for five in a row
He has attracted plenty of criticism for some below-par performances but the facts are that Cathal Pendred is undefeated in his four UFC outings so far. Fans who watched Pendred during his rise to the Cage Warriors title will know that the best is still to come and the Dubliner will be keen to show what he’s really capable of when he takes on John Howard. Just four weeks after his last fight, Pendred is chasing his fifth win in the space of just a year. Even his biggest detractors would have to tip their cap to that.
4. Matt Brown is on the prelims
You know the UFC have stacked the bill when Matt Brown can’t make it on to the main card. Aiming to rebound from consecutive losses to the two most recent welterweight champions — Robbie Lawler and Johny Hendricks — ‘The Immortal’ will clash with Tim Means in the final prelim before the main card kicks off. Brown is one of the most entertaining fighters on the UFC roster, winning three Fight of the Night bonuses so far.
5. It’s another big night for Neil Seery
On a massive evening for Irish MMA, Neil Seery will be the first Irishman out of the traps. The 35-year-old veteran, who’ll be fighting in the US for the first time in his career, looked very impressive in his last two wins against Phil Harris and Chris Beal. Saturday’s opponent Louis Smolka will probably give the Dublin flyweight a tougher test but it’s one he’s very capable of passing. A win in Saturday’s prelim should secure Seery a fight against a ranked opponent when the UFC returns to Dublin in October.
6. The return of Mike Swick
Two-and-a-half years since his last bout, veteran welterweight Mike Swick returns to UFC action on Saturday to take on Alex Garcia. Swick featured on the very first season of The Ultimate Fighter and has entertained throughout his career, during which he has picked up two KO of the Night bonuses. The 36-year-old Texan has had problems with injury and illness but his latest absence can be attributed to his commitments in Thailand, where he’s been busy setting up an American Kickboxing Academy facility. Swick comes across as a very endearing guy and he’s been filming a very cool series of YouTube videos to document his comeback.
7. The atmosphere
Conor McGregor says there are 2,500 fans travelling to Las Vegas from Ireland, with many more arriving in from other parts of the world to get behind the Irish fighters. With Irish MMA fans already proving that they’re not the quietest bunch, it should be a memorable night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena and there’s not a spare ticket to be found anywhere. Saturday can’t come soon enough.
But if nobody comes out, how will it ever change?
What a fu***ng as***le!
Apt choice of words there Dave….
Italy is a very patriarchal chauvinistic society, it is no great surprise that an italian man would say this.
i think all italian men need to come out of the closet, no straight men dress that well!
I think italian might close u in the closet waffler… Grow up boy!!!
yep, italians have no sense of humour
I saw his photo and honestly read that as ‘gay Italian footballer comes out of closet’.
You too? LOL
Showering / changing beside a gay man. What’s the problem. Most people are lucky enough to have 2 arms, legs, head, “privates”. We are all much the same basically. What’s the big deal if a gay man sees another naked. So what.
And hooks for hands, and a big pair of F**kn wings!
What’s the point in coming out, sure isn’t it more craic for them to be at it in closets, r so I’m led to believe from the metaphor
We need to encourage people in sport to come out, the younger generation needs to see that their sporting heroes can also be openly gay.
Homophobic dickhead…
Typical arrogance from a footballer. They assume that all the women they see want to have sex with them so why not gay men too.
gay men in football, like in every other situation, world rather have sex with someone who wants them?
Truth
FUCK HIM
literally or figuratively?
Pass on the F.ck, I think he’s gay!
Joan. You were told yesterday.
Berlusconi probably has gays and lesbians at his Bunga Bunga parties.
After all, it was The Romans who invented orgies.
Pete…..Greeks, it was the Greeks!
How are they gonna get fit in there?
Wasn’t there an open gay referee who did well in the sport?
The Rugby Union referee, Nigel Owens “came out” a few years back. I vaguely remember a Turkish football referee publicly admitted to being gay and was sacked a few hours later.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5UkFfcGQrs&feature=fvsr
Pretty funny stuff
To be fair, he’s only telling gay players that their career would be harmed and they would suffer abuse from the louts in the stands if they were brave enough, or reckless enough depending on how seriously you take the threats, physically and psychologically, to come out openly. It’s a chicken and egg argument that things have to change, of course they do but someone has to break the taboo and teh first ones will pay dearly for it. Justin Fashinou killed himself in 1998 not long after coming out, probably due in some measure to the disgusting abuse he suffered for his honesty and bravery. There was an article in the independent on Sunday (UK) from that publicist guy Max Clifford saying he’d advised several gay premier league players to keep the head down for the sake of their career. It’s wrong on all sorts of levels but it takes a brave man to come out knowing what’s coming…
No time like now for courage. Truth does not like hiding.
Surely Paul you are not advocating giving in to bullies.
Of course it’s time for change but it’s easy to say that gay players should have courage to change the culture of the game. Not so easy if you’re all of a sudden faced with massive discrimination. People who belong to ethnic or other minorities are born into families who are the same as them, they have a support network from birth. Gay people don’t have that, they go through years of self hatred and denial before finally accepting who they are. Then they have to get others to accept them too, not easy considering the journey they’ve already taken through hatred. It’s hard to face that again, especially when your career is at stake as well. The Italian guy was being called all sorts. I don’t think he’s being homophobic just telling players what he believes is in their professional best interests. If they want to get political they should also be strategic, come out together or something
Well said paul, whatever about coming out, but to endure abuse from the stand or terraces week in,week out would be tough, frightening and very personal, hurtful. It would have a huge strain on your mental health.who is to say that some players already fear the fans in the crowds, their chants, taunts,and then give them ammo to single you out. Very tough skin to do this
Ok Gis, it was the Greeks.
We Northern Europeans just don’t know how to have a proper party.
I think it’s strange that whenever someone declares their opinion in this manner, people are quick to simply brand them homophobic, and completely ignore the main point. Perhaps being openly gay isn’t the best idea if you are a professional footballer?
Yeah like the case of Justin Fashnu. Specifically told by Brian Clough to stay in the closet. How did that work out in the end? Can’t be easy living a lie.
tommasi – wat a gay
If you do Daniel, don’t kiss & tell :)
It’s like: “we are macho footballers that must stay in the closet” and every weekend they kiss each other and slap each other’s bottoms right in front of the cameras :) But seriously if all the gay footballers came out, it would desensitise the whole issue, it would become the norm after a while.
That reminds me a video from The Telegraph news, of Iran players who put his hand too far in the bottom of the other player while celebrating.
He is cute tho….hope he’s not gay.
Niamh, are you mad? He looks like Cher circa 1989 with a beard! Yuk!
Hee hee…if he had a haircut….I bet ya he scrubs up well. But after his comment I wouldn’t touch him wit a barge pole…in his dreams :)
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/8865105/Iran-footballers-could-face-lash-for-goal-celebration.html