5 of the best featherweight fights in MMA history
5. Jose Aldo vs. Connor McGregor for the UFC featherweight title at UFC 194
This fight definitely fits the second criterion. In terms of a fight, there really wasn’t much of one. We all know what happened but just in case, let me quickly run you through it.
Jose Aldo was seen as an unstoppable force in the featherweight division. He was undefeated for a whole decade and had up to this point, been the only man to ever hold the UFC’s featherweight title. The likes of Chad Mendes, Frankie Edgar, and the Korean Zombie had all tried and failed to take Aldo’s title and at this point, he was either the number one pound-for-pound fighter or close to it.
Thankfully for the UFC, an unknown Irishman by the name of Connor McGregor would start to make waves in the division, one that desperately needed some fresh contenders. With his brash talking and deadly left hand, McGregor rose all the way through the rankings to become the interim featherweight champion, setting up a clash with the 145-pound G.O.A.T.
A worldwide press tour unlike anything that had ever been seen before in the UFC was set up, with McGregor seemingly getting under Aldo’s skin more and more each time the two had a mic in front of them. Nobody had ever disrespected a legend like this and you could tell that Aldo was prepared to take McGregor’s cocky head completely off.
As the fight finally started, all it took was one solid left from McGregor and the fight was over. 13 second, the fastest finish in UFC title history, and the invincible aura around Aldo was gone. Not only is this fight in this top five list because of the shock of the result but because of everything that came afterwards.
McGregor would become the star that MMA had been yearning for since its inception. He’d go on to challenge Eddie Alvarez for his lightweight strap, becoming the first UFC double champ. His fight with Aldo might not have been a back-and-forth war we were hoping for but it is without a doubt one of the biggest moments in MMA history and that’s why it deserves its place at number five.