Monster Energy’s MMA Irish superstar and now undisputed UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor elevated himself yet again Saturday night with a record-breaking 13-second knock-out victory over the greatest featherweight fighter in MMA history to date, Jose Aldo, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. McGregor’s swaggering act had drawn the ire-or at least eye-rolls-from fellow fighters and some UFC fans, many of whom surely hoped Aldo would put a stop to the yapping.
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And even though McGregor didn’t become the official king of the 145-pound division until after knocking Aldo out in 13 seconds, he did walk into the fight as interim champion.
In the post-fight press conference, McGregor was asked about his accurate prediction of how the fight would pan out. “But now we are onto the next chapter”, added the new champion, who had predicted a first-round finish. It’s a new era. “I hit him and he took it. He’s a strong man”. “It will all be over soon'”.
It was fast and convincing, a staggering ending to dominant champion-Aldo, a 29-year-old jiu-jitsu specialist, had been considered the UFC’s top pound-for-pound fighter.
Aldo hadn’t lost for 10 years, since losing a lightweight fight in Brazil in 2005, and he was widely regarded as the sport’s best fighter.
McGregor and Aldo were scheduled to meet at UFC 189 in July, but Aldo pulled out with an injury two weeks before the bout.
“If you can see it, hear it and you have the courage to speak it, it will happen”, McGregor said.
“No power, just precision”, McGregor said about the punch that ended the fight. I get to go home. But tell me how many fights I’ve had in the past year.
“Thank you to all the fans who travelled and made this week what it was”. They’re going to be swallowed by the Irish, though. His win over Aldo set Las Vegas records for attendance and live gate for mixed martial arts.
For his part, Aldo said that wanted a rematch against McGregor according to Fansided.com.
McGregor took on the highly regarded Chad Mendes instead, scoring a second-round stoppage and earning an interim belt. “There’s a couple of contenders in the mix, let them maybe compete against each other while I go up and take the lightweight belt, allow a contender to emerge, then go back down and take out that contender and then go back up after a lightweight contender has emerged and take out that contender”.
McGregor has attracted global attention to the grateful UFC, which has heavily showcased his magnetism and verbosity.
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UFC 194 is officially over, and depending on who you were rooting for, the outcome may have been fantastic or disappointing.
