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It wouldn’t be a stretch to call Conor McGregor‘s next fight against Jose Aldo one of the most anticipated fights in UFC history.
When they were originally scheduled to fight for the featherweight title back in July, it already had the makings of something huge. Now, after Aldo had to pull out of that fight due to a rib injury and McGregor went on to knock out Chad Mendes for the interim belt–something many believed he couldn’t do–it’s fare to say the anticipation is even higher for their December 12 meeting at UFC 194 in Las Vegas.
McGregor’s ascent over the last two-plus years has been both meteoric and entertaining. He has gone 6-0 since his UFC debut in April 2013, winning all but one of those fights via TKO. But not only has he thoroughly transcended the competition inside the Octagon, he has established himself as one of the best and most boisterous trash-talkers outside of it.
His presence alone creates a massive and compelling draw for the UFC, but now we’re adding one of the sport’s most dominant champions to the mix.
Aldo is the only UFC featherweight champ to date. He was originally the WEC champion, and since being promoted to UFC champ with the merger in 2010, he has defended his title seven consecutive times, which has him within three of Anderson Silva’s record. He is ranked as the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter by UFC.com.
UFC 194 may not set records in terms of PPV buys or gate money, but considering what’s on the line, and what little resistance these two have faced thus far, it’s a main event that could easily go down as an instant classic.
Fans looking to watch McGregor vs. Aldo online, on mobile or on other devices can click here to order the PPV. Or if you simply want to prepare by watching all of McGregor and Aldo’s previous fights, click here to start a free trial of UFC Fight Pass.