Conor McGregor claimed the featherweight title at UFC 194 in dramatic style on Saturday night, as he knocked out Jose Aldo in just 13 seconds at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas.
The Irishman certainly talked the talk before the bout, but he more than lived up to his own hype and landed a trademark left hook to leave Aldo unconscious on the canvas.
McGregor himself calls that left hook “the most feared in combat sports,” and after dodging a right lead by the Brazilian, he moved in for the kill. He then continued to land hefty hammer fists before referee John McCarthy stepped in to end the fight.
Here’s a look at the highlights from Saturday night’s dramatic clash, via BT Sport:
Aldo came into the title match having not tasted defeat in 18 fights—dating all the way back to 2005. Yet the way McGregor approached the bout, with an arrogant, feisty swagger, just made the result always feel inevitable.
Not even the Irishman could have realistically foreseen getting the job done quite so quickly, though.
Countryman and professional footballer Shay Given was one of many lauding McGregor after the fight, saying he put his money where his mouth is:
McGregor himself remained grounded in his post-match interview, saying he owes the victory to precision and speed—per Martin Domin of MailOnline:
No power, just precision. No speed, just timing. That’s all it takes, especially when you have my left hand. Nothing can take that left hand. What I say happens, happens. I felt like last fight week was gone before I could embrace it, but this time I took it in. The Irish are making the fight game what it is today. I think Aldo should reassess himself while I look to maybe go for the 155-pound belt or maybe I look at Frankie [Edgar], so there are options. I showed up tonight and put a stamp on the real belt, there is no doubt now.
Yet Aldo doesn’t want McGregor to get too used to having the belt around his waist, as he told reporters that he wants a rematch—via Josh Gross of the Guardian:
“I threw a punch and he came back with a cross. We need a rematch. It wasn’t a fight so we needed to get back in there.”
Although the Brazilian feels a little hard done by, you can take nothing away from McGregor’s performance—defeating a fighter of Aldo’s calibre in just 13 seconds is nothing short of spectacular.
There are plenty of options for the 27-year-old from here. Taking on Aldo again would certainly bring in the zeroes, as would letting in-form American Frankie Edgar have his shot at the title.
Either way, it doesn’t seem like McGregor is in any mood or position to be dethroned, and although his approach may be a little unorthodox, Saturday night proves that it works. This could well be a champion for the ages.
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