Conor McGregor hasn’t had much of a reason to celebrate these days, but that won’t stop him from blowing…
Conor McGregor hasn’t had much of a reason to celebrate these days, but that won’t stop him from blowing up some balloons every time 12/12 rolls around.
To this day, McGregor’s split-second destruction of ‘Junior’ is one of MMA’s most iconic moments and solidified ‘Mystic Mac’ as the biggest star in the sport’s history.
“Happy Conor McGregor day folks! The Twelfth of the Twelfth, 12/12, the day I unified UFC gold for my Ireland in record breaking fashion,” McGregor wrote on X. “12 second KO! Sláinte.”
McGregor won Knockout of the Year for his quick-fire finish of ‘Junior’ and to this day, it stands as the fastest finish in a UFC title fight.
Before falling to McGregor inside the MGM Grand Garden Arena, Aldo had won 18 straight fights in an unbeaten streak that spanned a decade.
The company that also represents McGregor, Paradigm Sports, celebrated the anniversary with a series of images on social media to commemorate the iconic moment in UFC history.
Of all the epic moments in Max Holloway’s mixed martial arts career, beating the ‘King of Rio’ on his…
Of all the epic moments in Max Holloway’s mixed martial arts career, beating the ‘King of Rio’ on his home turf tops the list.
In a matter of hours, ‘Blessed’ will attempt to create another memorable moment when he headlines UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi, challenging the promotion’s reigning and defending featherweight world champion, Ilia Topuria. It will be Holloway’s 10th title fight under the UFC banner, but even if he recaptures gold in the UAE, it won’t top the feeling of beating perhaps the greatest featherweight the sport has ever seen.
“It means a lot. There’s a saying I always heard: train till your idols become your rivals,” Holloway said in an interview with TNT Sports. Jose Aldo was an idol, even after our fights. There’s no better feeling than fighting the King of Rio in Rio and doing what I did.
“I remember after the fight, there was not one sound in the audience. Just silence. This will be my number one MMA moment, no matter what.”
Despite underdog status, Max Holloway is determined to kickstart a new title reign at UFC 308
Holloway unified the interim and undisputed featherweight titles against Aldo in Rio de Janeiro at UFC 212 on June 3, 2017. He would go on to defend the title three times, besting ‘Junior’ in a rematch before scoring wins against Brian Ortega and Frankie Edgar.
‘Blessed’ will attempt to do what no man has been able to thus far and hand Topuria his first career loss. Thus far, ‘El Matador’ is a perfect 15-0 and is an almost 3-to-1 favorite to come out on top against Holloway at Etihad Arena.
Bantamweight contender Mario Bautista believes the criticism of how his fight with José Aldo unfolded at UFC 307 should be directed at the Brazilian. The pair collided on the main card of this past weekend’s pay-per-view event in Salt Lake City, with Bautista looking to replace Aldo inside the top 10 at 135 pounds. Across […]
Across three rounds, the 31-year-old achieved that feat, extending his winning run to seven and securing a rise to #9 in the rankings by falling on the right side of a split decision verdict in Utah.
Bautista Claims Aldo Could Have Escaped Positions At UFC 307, Opted Not To
During a recent interview on MMA Junkie Radio, Bautista reflected on his successful display in Salt Lake City on Oct. 5, which saw his record’s win column receive its biggest addition to date.
“I just wanted him to keep on working. I just wanted him to break out of the clinch, use that energy to get out. And then just kind of stay stuck to him. Keep him working, working,” Bautista said. “I just didn’t really think he was going to — I don’t know, I guess just stay on the wall.
“I thought he was going to get out. … There were points where like, yeah he was defending the takedown and maybe he could have circled off, but he just chose to stay there,” Bautista continued. “Yeah, I was holding him against the cage. But at the same, I think he did have opportunities to circle off, it’s just he chose not to. … Maybe that’s his resting area. … ‘Maybe the ref will separate us and I’ll be able to get my strikes off,’ and this and that.”
Bautista went on to say that, as a fan of the sport himself, frustration in that situation should always be toward the fighter who is unable to break the clinch and circle away.
In addition to the portions of the fanbase giving him stick, Bautista also hit back at one specific individual on social media post-fight, taking aim at Henry Cejudo for the former champ’s negative assessment of his UFC 307 performance.
You already turned down the fight pre Aldo! My performance? You haven’t won a fight in 4 years and your last two you got beat at your own game! Got out wrestled and pretty much got teched your last one..”champ” https://t.co/atAb4iaXJm
Former UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw doesn’t have much sympathy for José Aldo after he came up short in Salt Lake City this past weekend. Aldo returned on the main card of the UFC 307 pay-per-view on Oct. 5, making his second appearance inside the Octagon since bringing his short-lived retirement to an end in […]
Former UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw doesn’t have much sympathy for José Aldo after he came up short in Salt Lake City this past weekend.
Aldo returned on the main card of the UFC 307 pay-per-view on Oct. 5, making his second appearance inside the Octagon since bringing his short-lived retirement to an end in Rio de Janeiro earlier this year.
While the Brazilian immediately forged a path back into the rankings at 135 pounds by getting the better of Jonathan Martinez, Mario Bautista was able to spoil his plans for a late-career title shot in Utah.
Dillashaw differed from many with his take on Aldo vs. Bautista. He insisted that the ex-featherweight kingpin could have done much more to avoid granting Bautista such a long period of control in round three, which ultimately proved to be the difference.
“It surprises me…there’s techniques like this that (Aldo) doesn’t like — get off the cage,” Dillashaw said. “The loss for him, like with the fight cards, they thought Aldo should’ve won. I don’t know. He kept himself there (against the cage). Like, I’m not too mad. He lost the fight himself.”
It remains to be seen what comes next for Aldo, who was hoping to defend his spot inside the bantamweight top 10 in Salt Lake City before focusing on those above him.
Alongside Alex Pereira brutally breaking down Khalil Rountree, a major highlight of UFC 307 was the controversial officiating. Four fighters won via split decision, including Mario Bautista who beat José Aldo. Fans didn’t seem happy with Bautista keeping the former UFC featherweight champ in a clinch. The rising bantamweight prospect couldn’t secure a single takedown […]
Fans didn’t seem happy with Bautista keeping the former UFC featherweight champ in a clinch. The rising bantamweight prospect couldn’t secure a single takedown despite ten attempts and even during the clinch, he prioritized control over damage which was unusual.
Bautista belongs to the same team as Sean O’Malley and the latter’s coach Tim Welch backed his fighter for trying to win the fight. However, he was instantly called out for doing so…
Sean O’Malley’s Coach Explains Why Mario Bautista Played It Safe Against José Aldo At UFC 307
While reacting to UFC 307 on his YouTube channel, Tim Welch looked elated for Bautista winning his seventh fight in a row. With a couple more wins, he can aim to enter the top five and eventually fight for the UFC bantamweight title.
To be fair, Bautista has always been an active fighter inside the Octagon. His wins over Ricky Simón and Jin Soo Son are great examples of the same. He possesses several tools, including shoulder strikes and knees that work like a charm during a clinch.
According to Welch, the American fighter kept it safe against Aldo to make sure he won the fight and got the full pay. While this is an understandable take, the coach was instantly called out for heavily criticizing Merab Dvalishvili’s wrestling-heavy game plan against O’Malley.
“People are pissed about it. But you got to remember, Mario’s got a family and if he loses the fight, he makes half the amount of money he would’ve if he would win the fight. He’s not going to make a crazy amount of money, a big win bonus, if he goes and sits and slugs it out and potentially gets KO’ed by one of the nastiest strikers ever. He went in there with good game plan, he came in in shape, he did what he had to do to win the fight and if you were in that position, you’d probably do the same.”
Some fans also pointed out that Dvalishvili was more active than Bautista. The UFC bantamweight champion not only secured several takedowns at UFC 306 but also remained active on the ground. So, Welch favoring Bautista after rejecting Dvalishvili didn’t sit well with many.
Image: Tim Welch on YouTube
It is worth noting that Welch has recently admitted to “Machine” having a great game plan against O’Malley at UFC 306. However, it seems like most people in the MMA circle still remember him trying to claim “Suga” won and rooting for damage-based scoring in fights.
Alongside Alex Pereira brutally breaking down Khalil Rountree, a major highlight of UFC 307 was the controversial officiating. Four fighters won via split decision, including Mario Bautista who beat José Aldo. Fans didn’t seem happy with Bautista keeping the former UFC featherweight champ in a clinch. The rising bantamweight prospect couldn’t secure a single takedown […]
Fans didn’t seem happy with Bautista keeping the former UFC featherweight champ in a clinch. The rising bantamweight prospect couldn’t secure a single takedown despite ten attempts and even during the clinch, he prioritized control over damage which was unusual.
Bautista belongs to the same team as Sean O’Malley and the latter’s coach Tim Welch backed his fighter for trying to win the fight. However, he was instantly called out for doing so…
Sean O’Malley’s Coach Explains Why Mario Bautista Played It Safe Against José Aldo At UFC 307
While reacting to UFC 307 on his YouTube channel, Tim Welch looked elated for Bautista winning his seventh fight in a row. With a couple more wins, he can aim to enter the top five and eventually fight for the UFC bantamweight title.
To be fair, Bautista has always been an active fighter inside the Octagon. His wins over Ricky Simón and Jin Soo Son are great examples of the same. He possesses several tools, including shoulder strikes and knees that work like a charm during a clinch.
According to Welch, the American fighter kept it safe against Aldo to make sure he won the fight and got the full pay. While this is an understandable take, the coach was instantly called out for heavily criticizing Merab Dvalishvili’s wrestling-heavy game plan against O’Malley.
“People are pissed about it. But you got to remember, Mario’s got a family and if he loses the fight, he makes half the amount of money he would’ve if he would win the fight. He’s not going to make a crazy amount of money, a big win bonus, if he goes and sits and slugs it out and potentially gets KO’ed by one of the nastiest strikers ever. He went in there with good game plan, he came in in shape, he did what he had to do to win the fight and if you were in that position, you’d probably do the same.”
Some fans also pointed out that Dvalishvili was more active than Bautista. The UFC bantamweight champion not only secured several takedowns at UFC 306 but also remained active on the ground. So, Welch favoring Bautista after rejecting Dvalishvili didn’t sit well with many.
Image: Tim Welch on YouTube
It is worth noting that Welch has recently admitted to “Machine” having a great game plan against O’Malley at UFC 306. However, it seems like most people in the MMA circle still remember him trying to claim “Suga” won and rooting for damage-based scoring in fights.
Of all the epic moments in Max Holloway’s mixed martial arts career, beating the ‘King of Rio’ on his…
