Chad Mendes didn’t know it at the time, but his first-round technical knockout triumph over Ricardo Lamas in April was the victory that would ultimately earn him a short-notice interim featherweight title shot at UFC 189. “Money” staggered Lamas with a counter right and then swarmed for the finish, eventually getting it 2:45 into the opening stanza. He will face Conor McGregor at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas this Saturday.

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