Conor McGregor has options in next fight after record knockout of Jose Aldo
Conor McGregor reacts after his 13-second knockout of Jose Aldo during their featherweight title bout at UFC 194 on Saturday.
Conor McGregor’s record knockout victory in 13 seconds over Jose Aldo on Saturday was a result of his gift of visualization, he said at his postfight news conference late Saturday.
“If you can see it, hear it and you have the courage to speak it, it will happen,” McGregor said. “If you become vocal with it, you create the law of attraction. ... I said one round.”
McGregor won the belt by meeting Aldo near the center of the octagon. He slipped an Aldo punch, decked the champion with a hard left-handed punch to the jaw, then finished him with two more lefts on the canvas.
McGregor will move next to either a featherweight title defense against Frankie Edgar, or a move up in weight for the lightweight belt.
The UFC announced following McGregor’s first-punch technical-knockout victory over the former 10-years-unbeaten, No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter Aldo that McGregor (19-2) will have either option.
On Saturday, lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos defends his belt against Donald Cerrone.
After drawing 16,516 fans (mostly Irish) to the MGM Grand with live-gate sales of $10.1 million, the popular McGregor could either fight next in Ireland, or perhaps at Madison Square Garden in New York in April.
Former lightweight champion Edgar, after delivering his own first-round knockout Friday night in Las Vegas against Chad Mendes, said he’d mostly like to fight McGregor in New York. Edgar lives in New Jersey.
“I’m his Kryptonite,” Edgar said. “I’m in the gym a lot. You give me a good camp, ample time to prepare for him and I’m the guy to beat McGregor.”
“He’s got one more fight at [145] … I’d love it. “[McGregor’s] perfect for [New York]. A lot of Irish in New York. [Ireland] would be awesome too, heading into enemy territory. That’d be amazing.”
Edgar praised the boastful McGregor for “living up to everything he says … this guy’s been the real deal for awhile. I’ve never been one of those guys who didn’t want to give him credit. I think people hear his mouth and the way he talks about people and they’re slow to give him the credit he deserves, but he shows it in the cage every time.”
New middleweight champion Luke Rockhold celebrated his fourth-round technical knockout of former unbeaten champion Chris Weidman, who was hospitalized after absorbing a barrage of head punches in the final two rounds.
“I believe I’ve been the best in this sport for a long time. I’ve taken my game to a new level,” said Rockhold, who trains with current light-heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier and ex-heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez in San Jose.
“This is an iron-sharpens-iron world. I have to spar Cain and Cormier and have to raise my level every day. We’re the best team in the world.”
Follow Lance Pugmire on Twitter @latimespugmire
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