Chad Mendes

UFC Interim Featherweight Title Fight: Chad Mendes vs. Conor McGregor

Round 1
Herb Dean is the referee for tonight’s 145-pound interim title main event, with judges Junichiro Kamijo, Chris Lee and Marcos Rosales scoring at cageside. McGregor rushes across the cage to attack with a leaping knee, which is caught by Mendes and converted to a quick takedown. McGregor scrambles up, then eats a left hand from Mendes on the end of a combination. Mendes scores with a leg kick, sends a right hand over the top, then takes a spinning back kick to the body. McGregor walks Mendes toward the fence, touches the American with a straight left, another spinning kick to the gut. Mendes blocks a left high kick and continues to move in angles around the outside, grinning at McGregor. Now it’s Mendes’ turn to go up top with a right high kick which is blocked by McGregor, then a pair of punches which are not. McGregor puts a front kick in Mendes’ breadbasket, answered by a jab from Mendes. The wrestler shoots for a double-leg and takes down McGregor, landing in full guard. Mendes stands, holds McGregor’s leg and then clips the Irishman with a left hand as he stands. The punch opens up a cut and starts some swelling on the outsie of McGregor’s right eye. But, with two minutes left in the round, Mendes is slowing, perhaps showing the results of McGregor’s body work. Straight left hands are landing for McGregor until Mendes goes for another quick takedown. Mendes tries to take McGregor’s back, but McGregor puts his back to the canvas and Mendes winds up in half guard on the right side. Mendes tries a topside guillotine, can’t get it. Just before time runs out, referee Dean warns Mendes for sticking his fingers in McGregor’s eye while trying to smother.

Sherdog Scores
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Mendes
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Mendes
Jeff Sherwood scores the round 10-9 Mendes

Round 2
McGregor backs up Mendes with a few front kicks, then tries a spinning kick and comes up with air as “Money” moves off center. Mendes tries a takedown, gets sprawled on, and then misses with a guillotine attempt as McGregor scrambles back up. The wrestler ducks under a straight left from McGregor and plants the Irishman on the mat in the center of the cage with a double-leg takedown. McGregor peppers with wrap-around punches from his back and gets a warning from the referee to mind the back of Mendes’ head. Mendes slams through McGregor’s guard with a hard elbow to the face, then goes back to smothering the face of “The Notorious.” McGregor begins throwing elbows to the top of Mendes’ head, and despite the American’s complaints, referee Dean says the strikes are legal. Mendes gets back to fighting and drops another big elbow on McGregor’s face, followed by a right hand to the body and a forearm to the mouth. McGregor is looking for a stand-up order, but Dean tells him to keep fighting. Down to the final minute of the round, Mendes passes to the side and goes again for the topside guillotine. Mendes pulls guard to try and finish the choke, but McGregor rolls to his knees and then escapes to his feet. When they get up, McGregor rushes Mendes against the fence and attacks with uppercuts and body kicks. A blistering left cross sends Mendes crumbling to the base of the fence, and after McGregor slugs the turtling American with a few more punches, referee Dean stops the bout. Conor McGregor is the new UFC interim featherweight champion.

The Official Result
Conor McGregor def. Chad Mendes via TKO (Punches) R2 4:57