''UFC 194: Aldo vs. McGregor'' was a
mixed martial arts
Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...
event held by the
Ultimate Fighting Championship
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...
on December 12, 2015 at the
MGM Grand Garden Arena
The MGM Grand Garden Arena (originally known as the MGM Grand Garden Special Events Center) is a 17,000-seat multi-purpose arena located within the MGM Grand Las Vegas on the Las Vegas Strip.
Sporting events
From its opening on December 18, 1993 ...
in
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
, Nevada.
Background
The event was originally scheduled to take place on December 5. However, the
MGM Grand Garden Arena
The MGM Grand Garden Arena (originally known as the MGM Grand Garden Special Events Center) is a 17,000-seat multi-purpose arena located within the MGM Grand Las Vegas on the Las Vegas Strip.
Sporting events
From its opening on December 18, 1993 ...
had already been booked for an
Andrea Bocelli
Andrea Bocelli (; born 22 September 1958) is an Italian tenor and multi-instrumentalist. He was born visually impaired, with congenital glaucoma, and at the age of 12, Bocelli became completely blind, following a brain hemorrhage resulting fr ...
concert, prompting the UFC to look at alternative venues such as the
Mandalay Bay Events Center
The Michelob Ultra Arena, formerly the Mandalay Bay Events Center, is a 12,000-seat multi-purpose indoor arena at the Mandalay Bay, Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It is owned and operated by M ...
. The
AT&T Stadium in
Arlington, Texas was the most relevant venue under consideration, which would likely have made the event the highest attended in the promotion's history. Subsequently, on August 10, UFC president
Dana White
Dana Frederick White Jr. (born July 28, 1969) is an American businessman who serves as president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a global mixed martial arts organization. In August 2019, White's net worth was estimated at $500 milli ...
confirmed the event would take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, albeit one week later on December 12.
![José Aldo vs](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e6/Jos%C3%A9_Aldo_vs._Conor_McGregor%2C_UFC_189_World_Tour_London.jpg)
This event marked the first time the UFC has ever scheduled three events in consecutive days, with all of them taking place in Las Vegas. Instead of the MGM Grand Garden Arena, the other two events were held at
The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan.
The event was headlined by a
UFC Featherweight Championship
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships.
Historical notes
At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight classe ...
unification bout between then champion
José Aldo
José Aldo da Silva Oliveira Júniorhttps://pbs.twimg.com/media/CI3oOc0VAAAr_iv.jpg (, born 9 September 1986), commonly anglicized as Jose Aldo, is a retired Brazilian professional mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist. He last competed i ...
and then interim champion
Conor McGregor
Conor Anthony McGregor ( ga, Conchúr Antóin Mac Gréagóir; born 14 July 1988) is an Irish professional mixed martial artist. He is a former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) featherweight and lightweight double-champion. He is the first ...
.
The bout was originally expected to take place at
UFC 189
''UFC 189: Mendes vs. McGregor'' was a mixed martial arts event held on July 11, 2015, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Background
The event took place during the UFC's annual International Fight Week.
The event was expected t ...
. However, Aldo pulled out of the bout due to a rib injury and the event was instead headlined by an interim title bout between McGregor and
.
The co-main event featured a
UFC Middleweight Championship
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships.
Historical notes
At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight classe ...
bout between then undefeated champion
and former
Strikeforce Middleweight champion Luke Rockhold
Luke Skyler Rockhold (born October 17, 1984) is an American retired mixed martial artist. He is best known for his time in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he competed in the Light Heavyweight and Middleweight division. ...
.
A middleweight bout between
Ronaldo Souza
Ronaldo Souza dos Santos (born December 7, 1979), nicknamed " Jacare" (), is a Brazilian former mixed martial artist and submission grappler who competed for UFC from 2013 to 2021. A highly regarded grappler on the worl ...
and
Yoel Romero
Yoel Romero Palacio (born April 30, 1977) is a Cuban professional mixed martial artist and former freestyle wrestler. He currently competes in the Light Heavyweight division for Bellator MMA. Romero formerly competed in the Middleweight divi ...
was originally booked for
UFC 184
''UFC 184: Rousey vs. Zingano'' was a mixed martial arts event held on February 28, 2015, at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.
Background
A UFC Middleweight Championship bout between Chris Weidman and Vitor Belfort was expected to serve ...
and later ''
UFC on Fox: Machida vs. Rockhold''. However, the bout was cancelled both times due to Souza being struck with pneumonia and Romero pulling out due to a ligament and meniscus tear in his knee, respectively. The fight was later rescheduled for this event.
Michelle Waterson
Michelle Eileen Waterson (born January 6, 1986) is an American mixed martial artist and model who competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). She is the former Invicta FC Atomweight Champion. Between 2013 and 2014, she was ranked the ...
was expected to face
Tecia Torres
Tecia Lyn Torres Moncaio (born August 16, 1989) is an American mixed martial artist who is currently competing in the strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of October 24, 2022, she is #8 in the UFC women's straww ...
at the event. However, Waterson pulled out of the bout on November 24 citing an injury. She was replaced by
promotional newcomer
Jocelyn Jones-Lybarger
Jocelyn Jones-Lybarger is an American former mixed martial artist who competed in the Strawweight division of the UFC and has competed in Invicta. She competed at UFC Fight Night: MacDonald vs. Thompson. On January 19, 2017, she announced her r ...
.
On January 13, Romero was informed of a potential doping violation stemming from an out of competition test conducted by
USADA
The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA, ) is a non-profit, non-governmental 501(c)(3) organization and the national anti- doping organization (NADO) for the United States. To protect clean competition and the integrity of sport and prevent ...
. On February 8, Romero and his manager explained that he took a supplement after his fight and that supplement turned out to be contaminated. His team and USADA both sent out the supplement for testing and it came back that it contained a banned substance. That substance was not listed on the label, his manager said. They did not want to reveal the name of the supplement or the substance, because USADA was investigating the issue. On March 23, it was announced that Romero would appeal his suspension. His team and USADA discussed a deal for a nine-month suspension for the fighter, but Romero preferred to go to arbitration. The typical USADA anti-doping violation suspension is two years. Eventually on April 4, both parts reached an agreement for a six-month suspension. USADA revealed that Romero tested positive for
ibutamoren, a
growth hormone
Growth hormone (GH) or somatotropin, also known as human growth hormone (hGH or HGH) in its human form, is a peptide hormone that stimulates growth, cell reproduction, and cell regeneration in humans and other animals. It is thus important in h ...
release stimulator. The supplement was tested and the banned substance did indeed come up, even though it was not listed on the label. Romero announced that he'll pursue legal action against the supplement company within the next few weeks. The result of the fight was not disqualified or overturned.
McGregor vs. Aldo fight
Before the opening of the first round, they refused to touch gloves and went immediately into combat. As the fight started, McGregor took control of the center of the octagon. When Aldo got within his range, McGregor threw a straight left hand to keep Aldo away. The punch did not hit its target. McGregor then followed with a leg kick that connected. As Aldo charged forward to connect with a right-left punch combination, McGregor moved backwards and connected with a left hook that landed on Aldo's chin and rendered him unconscious. Both punches connected, but McGregor's left punch landed first. As Aldo fell to the ground, McGregor connected with two
hammer fists until the referee (
Big John McCarthy
John Michael McCarthy (born October 12, 1962) is an American commentator for Bellator MMA, former mixed martial arts referee, best known for officiating numerous bouts promoted by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), dating back to UFC 1. ...
) stepped in to stop the fight. When the fight was over, McGregor leaped atop the fence and celebrated his victory. Within a minute, Aldo regained consciousness and was on his feet.
[ The bout lasted 13 seconds. The knockout was the fastest finish in UFC title fight history.][ “Again, nobody can take that left-hand shot,” said McGregor in the post-fight interview. “ ldo'spowerful and he's fast. But precision beats power, and timing beats speed. And that’s what you saw there.”]
Results
Bonus awards
The following fighters were awarded $50,000 bonuses:
*Fight of the Night: Luke Rockhold vs. Chris Weidman
*Performance of the Night: Conor McGregor and Leonardo Santos
Reported payout
The following is the reported payout to the fighters as reported to the Nevada State Athletic Commission
The Nevada State Athletic Commission (also known as the Nevada Athletic Commission or NSAC) regulates all contests and exhibitions of unarmed combat within the state of Nevada, including licensure and supervision of promoters, boxers, kickboxers ...
. It does not include sponsor money and also does not include the UFC's traditional "fight night" bonuses.
* Conor McGregor: $500,000 (no win bonus) def. José Aldo: $400,000
* Luke Rockhold: $160,000 (includes $80,000 win bonus) def. Chris Weidman: $275,000
* Yoel Romero: $150,000 (includes $25,000 win bonus) def. Ronaldo Souza: $135,000
* Demian Maia: $156,000 (includes $78,000 win bonus) def. Gunnar Nelson: $75,000
* Max Holloway: $90,000 (includes $45,000 win bonus) def. Jeremy Stephens: $43,000
* Urijah Faber: $300,000 (includes $150,000 win bonus) def. Frankie Saenz: $20,000
* Tecia Torres: $24,000 (includes $12,000 win bonus) def. Jocelyn Jones-Lybarger: $10,000
* Warlley Alves: $42,000 (includes $21,000 win bonus) def. Colby Covington: $18,000
* Leonardo Santos: $40,000 (includes $20,000 win bonus) def. Kevin Lee: $21,000
* Magomed Mustafaev: $24,000 (includes $12,000 win bonus) def. Joe Proctor: $13,000
* Yancy Medeiros: $42,000 (includes $21,000 win bonus) def. John Makdessi: $30,000
* Court McGee: $48,000 (includes $24,000 win bonus) def. Marcio Alexandre Jr.: $12,000
See also
* List of UFC events
* 2015 in UFC
References
{{UFC Events
2015 in sports in Nevada
Ultimate Fighting Championship events
2015 in mixed martial arts
Mixed martial arts in Las Vegas
MGM Grand Garden Arena
December 2015 sports events in the United States