The former UFC feathweight champion was defeated via knockout after just 13 seconds at UFC 194 Saturday night, a loss that made McGregor the undisputed unified UFC featherweight champion.
Advertisement
“I said he’d overload on his right hand”, he recalled.
The gauntlet was laid down earlier this month, when it was announced that the victor of the Conor McGregor-Jose Aldo fight would join Ronda Rousey on the cover of EA Sports’ UFC 2. With Rousey on a medical suspension and likely shelved until a rematch with Holm at UFC 200 in July, McGregor can take over as the face, not to mention the mouth, of MMA’s foremost promotion.
McGregor had to lose weight to reach the 145lb cut-off for the featherweight title, and looked gaunt at the weigh-in before putting on weight for the fight the next day.
The Irish fighter clearly knew his way with words and also in the ring.
Fortunately for Aldo (UFC 7-1), referee John McCarthy was on hand to call an end to the bout and prevent further damage as McGregor wheeled away to celebrate his triumph from atop the octagon with his legion of adoring support.
The moments leading up to the fight were tense as both fighters came into the ring ready for an epic battle. With a lot of fans expecting an action-packed tiff, the flawless and precision timing that McGregor landed on Aldo was something no one had expected. “Aldo’s unbeaten in ten years, he’s killed everyone that came near him so it’s a phenomenal result”, Fields declared. This apparent demand for a Conor McGregor vs. Jose Aldo rematch was also expressed by many others, including Miesha Tate.
“If I go up to that lightweight division, there’s no way in hell that I’m vacating my belt”.
“I would like to go up and fight for that 155-pound belt and replicate what I’d done [while with Cage Warriors] and get that two weight belt”, said McGregor.
Advertisement
However, I will tell you that when I interviewed Conor he said that Frankie did have a big win and it might be enough to keep him at 145, but you don’t see that happening? “But I think now is still too early to speak, said Aldo”. If we assume that the fight had AT LEAST 500,000 buys, then each fighter receives $1,500,000 on top of their fee. Of course, I want a rematch, I think I have that right.
