Thoughts & Shots: UFC 194

LAS VEGAS -- Thirteen seconds: That was all it took for the “Notorious” Conor McGregor to flatten the only undisputed featherweight champion the Ultimate Fighting Championship had ever known. In the blink of an eye, Jose Aldo’s title reign came crashing down in a heap at UFC 194, sending a massive throng of Irish fans into a frenzy inside the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

I learned my lesson after McGregor’s triumph over Chad Mendes in July and bolted for the exit to make sure I could safely make it back to my room before the revelers overtook the casino and concourses. As I sit here writing this story 27 floors above the Vegas Strip, all I can hear are the raucous cheers of the jubilant fans from Eire. “Ole, ole, ole” and the “Walking in McGregor Wonderland” choruses can be heard from the street below, despite the roar of airliners blasting off from nearby McCarran International Airport. It is an amazing scene and something I have never experienced in my 17-plus years covering mixed martial arts.

The victory was as spectacular as it was decisive, with McGregor jolting Aldo with a blistering counter left hand in the opening exchange of the fight. He slipped a right from Aldo and snuck in the left before the Brazilian cracked him with a left of his own that landed as he was falling to the mat. McGregor then delivered a couple hammerfists that acted as exclamation points on the Irishman’s takeover of the 145-pound division.

I’ve been talking all week about the ramifications of a McGregor victory, and I truly believe the sport is about to be turned on its head. We’ve gotten a little hint of where the newly minted champion’s thoughts are headed with his talk of $100 million-dollar contracts and “associates” and “business partners” at Zuffa.

In my opinion, this is not a man who will be happy with even a healthy serving of crumbs; he wants the entire loaf and will let others know what he feels he is worth. I think it’s a brilliant strategy for an athlete who has a finite time to ply his trade and who has the kind of leverage McGregor has earned. You have to give the UFC a ton of credit for being able to keep the genie in the bottle when it comes to fighter pay, but there’s about a zero-point-zero percent chance it stops McGregor from dictating just about all of the terms for the foreseeable future.

The first term to be set by the new champ will likely be the division in which he is going to compete. From the sounds of things -- especially coming from many of the Irish media who are close to McGregor and his SBG Ireland team -- this may very well have been his last fight at featherweight. In the immediate aftermath of McGregor’s knockout win, UFC President Dana White declared that if the Irishman moves up, he would get first crack at the winner of the Dec. 19 lightweight championship bout between Rafael dos Anjos and Donald Cerrone.

That will leave a void at 145 pounds, where Frankie Edgar, fresh off his own win over Mendes, was hoping a bout with McGregor would materialize. While the possibility remains, it seems more and more like a fleeting hope. As for Aldo, he said he wants an immediate rematch. However, after such a conclusive defeat, he may not have much of an argument even if McGregor sticks around at featherweight.

With all of that said, the most important thing I take away from this monumental night of fights is the fact that there is a newly crowned champion/power broker in the world of MMA. Buckle up, this is going to be one wild ride.

Rockhold Reigns

Luke Rockhold put a beating on formerly undefeated middleweight champion Chris Weidman and left no doubt as to whom the better fighter was. After a close first round, Rockhold began his assault on the title in earnest. He started to pull away after catching his opponent exposed while throwing an ill-advised spinning kick midway through the third round. That allowed him to take the fight to the mat, where he pummeled Weidman into a bloody mess. Shockingly, referee Herb Dean did not step in while Rockhold cratered Weidman’s grill into a crimson stain.

The end finally came in the fourth round, where Rockhold got to mount and pounded away until Dean had no choice but to intervene. The clearly spent new champion fell to the mat and remained there until his American Kickboxing Academy teammate and fellow UFC titleholder Daniel Cormier scooped him from the canvas and kissed him on the forehead to congratulate him on a career-defining performance. What most people did not know was that Rockhold overcame a tough training camp that was full of physical and emotional hurdles. It was something that was on the minds of many of his closest confidants, but their belief in him never wavered. He rewarded their support and efforts with yet another title to hang on the walls of the San Jose, Calif., gym.

Sherdog.com Executive Editor Greg Savage can be reached by email at [email protected] or via Twitter @TheSavageTruth.