10 Conor McGregor "What Ifs"

With two titles looming over the featherweight division, the next order of business was to unify the belts and find out whether McGregor could continue his quest to become the greatest fighter of all time.

The bout was booked for UFC 194 on the 12 December 2015 in the home of the UFC, Las Vegas. The tension between Aldo and McGregor had reached its absolute boiling point after the first false start, and the travelling Irish fans could sense something special was in the air. The fight would be historic, both in its significance to the sport and as a record-breaking fight. Once again, a McGregor main event broke the UFC’s gate and attendance record which had been set in the Mendes fight with the gate amounting to $10.1m and the attendance at 16,516. Aldo was fired up and eager to make McGregor pay for the months of abuse and mind games, but this ultimately played into the strategy of McGregor and Aldo had his prestigious 10-year unbeaten run squashed in just 13 seconds.

Analysts and fans alike have debated in the years since about whether the super-quick knockout was an example of supreme preparation and skill, or a fluke for the man who always had his stars aligned. Blinded by hate and a will for revenge, Aldo nigh on leapt for McGregor almost from the bell, resulting in his demise. Had he taken a more strategic approach, who knows how the fight would have gone? McGregor sympathised with Aldo in his post-match interview, acknowledging the mistake made by the former featherweight champion and promised him a rematch. Interestingly, this rematch never came to fruition despite heavy campaigning from Jose.