Desert Island Fights | Part 6

This wasn’t so much a fight as a battle of wills. MacDonald started well and was piecing up Lawler with his boxing early on. But, as the bout wore on, Lawler bit down on his mouthpiece and flat-out refused to allow himself to be beaten.

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Sometimes you hear fighters saying that they’re ready to fight to the death. Lawler’s performance embodied that in a way I don’t think I’ve ever seen before, or since, in a fight. And the memory of his post-fight celebration after his fifth-round TKO win, roaring at the crowd with a badly split upper lip, will live with me forever. 

Chad Mendes vs Conor McGregor

UFC 189: Mendes vs. McGregor – July 11, 2015

The first main event I covered in Las Vegas, and the first time I’d ever set foot on US soil, Conor McGregor vs. Chad Mendes at UFC 189 was the crowning moment on an insane UFC pay-per-view that still ranks as one of the best events of all time.

Fight week was nuts. It must have been a good weekend to be a burglar in Dublin, as it seemed like most of McGregor’s hometown had flown across the pond to be there in person in the fight capital of the world, and the party vibe the fans brought to Vegas that week extended to fight night itself, with the late, great, Sinead O’Connor singing “The Foggy Dew” as McGregor made his walk to the Octagon.

Chad Mendes, who stepped in on short notice to replace the injured Jose Aldo, was expected to test McGregor’s takedown defense early, and while “Money” managed to get “The Notorious” one to the mat, when they returned to the feet, it was Mendes who was starting to breathe heavily.

McGregor smartly attacked the body, then, in the second round, with Mendes’ hands beginning to drop, he went back upstairs to score the second-round TKO with just three seconds left in the round.

The MGM Grand Garden Arena erupted, McGregor became a superstar, and the UFC was never quite the same again.

Jose Aldo vs Conor McGregor

UFC 194: Aldo vs. McGregor – December 12, 2015

I know this feature is “Desert Island Fights” and offering up a bout that lasted just 13 seconds seems a bit unusual, but that 13 seconds came after a long build-up that saw the rivalry between Aldo and McGregor cranked up to levels few could have anticipated.

Yes, we knew McGregor was a master of the mind games, and a top-drawer wind-up merchant. But Aldo’s stoicism throughout his career suggested that it would be tough break through his thick skin. Well, McGregor succeeded.

It all started for me with a phone call on Christmas Eve. The whole family was sitting around the dinner table enjoying some festive food. Did I want to break the news of a big fight? “What’s the fight?” I asked. “Bisping vs. Anderson Silva, UFC London, February 27,” came the reply. I put my knife and fork down, excused myself from the table, and got the news out within the hour. 

It was a huge Christmas present for UK MMA fans, and a chance for Bisping to prove that what he’d been saying all along – that he would beat Silva if they ever fought.

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The fight itself was a movie. Bisping started like a house on fire, and when he dropped Silva early, the roof of The O2 Arena nearly came off. But that would only be the start of the drama.

In a fight that saw the momentum swing back and forth like a real-life Rocky movie, Bisping held the advantage in the first two rounds as he outstruck “The Spider” through the opening 10 minutes of the fight. But, in the closing seconds of the third round, all hell broke loose.

Bisping lost his mouthpiece during an exchange against the fence and, after Silva stepped back to reset, the Brit gestured to the dropped gumshield so referee Herb Dean could pause the action. It was a huge error.

First there was Friday. The atmosphere was off the charts as 10,000 fans crammed into the MGM Grand Garden just to see Diaz and McGregor face off. It wasn’t even fight night and it was still a “you had to be there” moment.

Then, on fight night, the co-main event saw Miesha Tate come back from the brink of defeat to submit Holly Holm in the final round and capture the women’s bantamweight title. It was an unforgettable moment that helped define “Cupcake’s” career. 

But the night had one more “Holy S**t!” moment to deliver before everyone went home.

The build-up to Nate Diaz vs. Conor McGregor was electric. Diaz’s now-infamous Octagon interview – “You took everything I worked for!” – after defeating Michael Johnson set the wheels in motion for a huge matchup, and the electricity between the pair built things up to a thrilling crescendo when they finally stepped into the Octagon on fight night.

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The general consensus was that Diaz would give him a fight, but he’d get caught eventually by McGregor’s power. But, as the fight played out, it was Diaz who appeared to have the edge. And in the second round, when Diaz started to add a little more weight to his high-volume output, he hit the jackpot, and claimed one of the most memorable victories in UFC history.

He stunned McGregor with punches that prompted the Irishman into shooting for a takedown. It was everything Diaz could have hoped for. The Stockton native easily stuffed the attempt, mounted McGregor and hammered him with punches and elbows until “The Notorious” one gave him his back. Diaz saw his chance, locked up a rear-naked choke and the rest is history.

Luke Rockhold vs Michael Bisping

UFC 199: Rockhold vs. Bisping 2 – June 4, 2016

For so long, it felt like Michael Bisping would be destined to finish his career as the UFC’s ultimate “nearly man.” Every time he came within one win of a title shot, he’d fall at the final hurdle. But, after getting that unforgettable win over Anderson Silva in London less than four months earlier, Bisping was ready for his shot at the title.

That came back at UFC 100, when Dan Henderson detonated his now-legendary “H-Bomb” on Bisping, then followed up with an equally devastating flying forearm to the already out-cold Brit by way of an exclamation mark.

After that fight, many wrote Bisping off. You don’t get knocked out like that and become a champion. It was just too damaging, too devastating, too confidence-shattering. But Bisping threw up a middle finger to the detractors and, over the course of seven years, earned a shot at the title, and won it. 

And in his rematch with Henderson in Manchester – an event held in the middle of the night to accommodate US pay-per-view timescales – Bisping must have had some serious flashbacks as he was dropped not once, but twice, by 46-year-old Hendo, who was walking, talking proof that the last thing you lose is your power.

But, despite being dinged twice by Henderson, Bisping clambered up off the canvas on both occasions and battled through adversity to pick up a hard-won unanimous decision victory. It ensured that Bisping retained his title, and maintained his undefeated record on UK soil.

Eddie Alvarez vs Conor McGregor 

UFC 205: Alvarez vs. McGregor – November 12, 2016

The first time the Octagon landed in New York City saw history made in more ways than one at Madison Square Garden.

Fight week was nuts. When Conor McGregor didn’t appear for the start of the pre-fight press conference, lightweight champ Eddie Alvarez got up and walked off. Eventually McGregor arrived, galloping onto the stage wearing a rented mink coat and riding an invisible horse as the assembled New York crowd roared their approval. It set the stage for a crazy build-up to fight night.

If the presser was crazy, the weigh-ins were wild. More than 14,000 fans crammed into The Garden just to get a glimpse of Alvarez and McGregor facing off. Then, when fight night rolled around and the talking stopped, McGregor delivered.

His dismantling of Alvarez was as clinical as it was decisive, as he dropped “The Underground King” five times en route to a second-round TKO victory as the Irishman became the first fighter to hold two UFC titles simultaneously.

Being there for the first UFC event in New York was special. Watching live fights at The Garden was special. But what took my experience of UFC 205 to higher levels was McGregor. In sheer performance terms, that was the best Conor McGregor we’ve ever seen inside the Octagon. A man at the peak of his powers, achieving something no other fighter had managed before.