Conor McGregor Knocks Out José Aldo In 13 Seconds

It didn’t exactly take long for the premiere match of UFC 194 to end.

It took one punch and 13 seconds. Conor McGregor landed a hard cross to José Aldo’s face, Aldo is knocked out. Game over. McGregor is the champ (and incidentally, won the right to appear on EA Sports UFC 2 with Ronda Rousey).

After the fight, the notoriously tough-talking Irishman was gracious in victory. In a message posted to his Facebook, McGregor wrote “Respect to a great champion in Jose Aldo. The true greats will always overcome adversity. I wish him and his loyal team well on their journey back. Much respect.” He also thanked his fans and talked about the journey that took him to UFC 194.

Aldo, for his part, was noticeably holding back tears at his post-fight press conference. “I threw a punch and he came back with a cross. We need a rematch,” Aldo said after the fight. “It wasn’t a fight so we need to get back in there.”

Aldo is one of the best fighters to play the game. He’s 25-2 as a fighter, fast and strong. And McGregor knocked him out in one punch.

It’s now another part of the meteoric rise for McGregor. And the man has options for his next fight. It seems inevitable that there will be a rematch; this fight brought in a $10.1 million gate. But UFC president Dana White promised former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar he would get a title defense. Edgar won his fifth straight fight at 145 pounds Friday.

For now, however, McGregor can sit back and enjoy victory.

PHOTO: LAS VEGAS, NV – DECEMBER 12: Conor McGregor celebrates after a first-round knockout victory over Jose Aldo in their featherweight title fight during UFC 194 on December 12, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Steve Marcus/Getty Images)

Article by Matthew Enright