For the first time in UFC history, the featherweight division has a new champion—and his name is Conor McGregor.
And it didn’t take long.
The new champion needed just 13 seconds to take his crown Saturday. MMA Fighting reported the official result:
Jose Aldo’s reign over the featherweight division was dismantled by one punch from the new champion. With Aldo coming in to throw a massive left hook, McGregor countered with a perfect left hand that sent Aldo crumbling to the canvas.
The new champion broke down the finish for the crowd, per Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting:
As ESPN Stats & Info noted, it was the UFC’s fastest title fight ever:
Getting the belt around his waist marks the realization of a dream for McGregor. The brash Irishman has gained notoriety from his otherworldly confidence. He has no qualms about telling anyone who will listen exactly what he wants and how he’s going to get it.
It’s something he did even before he was on the UFC roster.
“My dream is to be world champion of the UFC, have more money than I know what to do with—and I will be,” he said back in 2008, according to an episode of UFC Embedded. “Guarantee it.”
Fast-forward seven years, and we are now living in McGregor’s reality. He’s the champion thanks to a victory over one of the UFC’s longest-running champions. The loss for Aldo snapped a streak of seven consecutive title defenses and a 10-year winning streak.
Though McGregor’s outlandish personality has attracted some doubters, it’s hard to deny that he’s earned the hype after defeating the best fighter in his weight class.
Where the McGregor era goes from here is what’s interesting now. UFC President Dana White hasn’t been shy about proclaiming McGregor’s potential as a major promotional asset. He even went as far as comparing the fighter’s potential to boxing superstar Floyd Mayweather Jr., per Damon Martin of Fox Sports:
If he can stick around for a while and stay unbeaten in the UFC, it will be very interesting. I agree with you 100 percent. This guy has been around for a couple of years and look at the impact he has made in the combat sports world.
Floyd’s been around for 20 — imagine if Conor McGregor was around for 20 years.
That claim may seem outlandish, but so was McGregor’s when he said he’d be a UFC champion years ago. His rise has been marked with outlandish talk.
Whom the UFC tabs as McGregor’s first title defense will likely come down to two options.
The first would be an automatic rematch. Regardless of how a fight plays out, the organization has historically given longtime champions an automatic shot at winning their belts back.
Given the massive buildup to Saturday’s fight, a sequel would probably draw plenty of attention.
Frankie Edgar might have a problem with that, though. The former lightweight champion has been on a tear and secured his spot as the best contender not named McGregor or Aldo on Friday night with a first-round knockout victory over Chad Mendes.
“He says I got it,” Edgar said of his conversation with White after the fight, per Mike Bohn of USA Today. “He says I put myself in position to where I get that title shot.”
Journalist Adam Martin highlighted Edgar’s recent dominance:
But in this business, there are no promises until a contract is signed. Even then, it can be uncertain. McGregor and the UFC could go in another direction.
McGregor suggested he could fight in the lightweight division.
“I will KO Jose Aldo and I will face the winner of the lightweight belt, which takes place a week after, and then I will fight for that. So within the next two fights, I will be a two-weight world champion,” he said, per Bohn.
That’s an outlandish claim, sure. But at this point, McGregor has established that he’s the king of the outlandish.
Love him or hate him—The Notorious’ reign is sure to be an interesting one.
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