Nine years later, Conor McGregor shockingly knocked out Jose Aldo within the first twelve seconds of their featherweight title fight, making him a superstar.
After Jose Aldo pulled out of the scheduled main event for UFC 189, Conor McGregor was confident he would remain on the card and instead took on Chad Mendes for the interim featherweight title.
The Irishman finished Mendes in the second round, setting up a huge title unification fight against the greatest featherweight of all time, Aldo.
Conor McGregor celebrates the famous KO by inventing a holiday in his honor
On December 12, after a highly entertaining build-up, McGregor and Aldo faced off in the Octagon at UFC 194 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
After predicting the fight down to the exact moment, McGregor landed what has become the most famous KO in the history of the sport, sinking Aldo within the first twelve seconds of the fight, even though it has now been nine years.
Photo by Steve Marcus/Getty Images
Reacting to his historic moment, McGregor said on social media on Thursday: “Happy Conor McGregor Day people! The twelfth of the twelfth, 12/12, the day I won UFC gold for my Ireland in record-breaking fashion. 12 seconds KO! Slainte (cheers).”
Things then seemingly went downhill for McGregor inside the Octagon as he suffered his first defeat under the UFC banner just three months later when he took on Nate Diaz in a late welterweight bout after his lightweight title fight against Rafael dos Anjos was canceled.
Just five months later, he rebounded the loss to Diaz in a classic rematch, taking the majority decision that set the stage for his lightweight title fight against Eddie Alvarez.
Naturally, 'The Notorious' became the first simultaneous double champion in UFC history by knocking out Alvarez in the second round, making himself the biggest star in combat sports.
Conor McGregor shares images of him during training
Despite his return to the UFC being scheduled for June earlier this year, the 36-year-old has not fought since breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier in 2021.
However, the Irishman has teased online that he is back in training and may be preparing for a return to the Octagon in 2025 as he recently continued his feud with Michael Chandler.
One fight fans hope to see if 'The Notorious' returns is a trilogy fight between him and Diaz. The Stockton fighter left the UFC in 2022 after beating Tony Ferguson and has since teased a return.
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