UFC superstar Conor McGregor made his pre-fight prediction a reality at UFC 194.
The culmination of Conor McGregor's meteoric rise to UFC superstardom was on full display at UFC 194 when he challenged then-UFC featherweight champion José Aldo in the main event. McGregor's mental warfare before the fight against Aldo resulted in one of the wildest knockouts in MMA history, and the Irish phenom called it.
After capturing the interim UFC Featherweight Championship against Chad Mendes at UFC 189, McGregor got his long-awaited showdown with Aldo just months later at UFC 194. McGregor was undefeated in his professional tenure prior to the Aldo fight, but despite this, many believed McGregor would get a rude awakening from the title holder.
There were months of bad blood between McGregor and Aldo ahead of their UFC 194 title fight. The two featherweights got into several altercations prior to fight night, including during the ceremonial weigh-in at UFC 194.
In one of McGregor's final confrontations before the fight with Aldo, he noticed a small hint in body language that led him to predict how their fight would go.
Photo by Christian Petersen/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Conor McGregor called out how he would knock out José Aldo at UFC 194
In a pre-fight interview with Robin Black, McGregor revealed his prediction for his fight with Aldo.
“I felt that as we stared down, I felt his right hand shaking, which to me was a subtle sign. He's ready to unleash that right hand and I think this could be a downfall for him. If he lets go of that right hand, I won't be there,” McGregor said.
“I just come in the way I come in and that's it. They stretch too much, or they shrink. Either way, it's not good for them. I will trap and create dead space in that Octagon. I will guide him into that dead space. Suddenly he will be in danger.” (h/t Sports Joe)
The result of McGregor's pre-fight prediction was a 13-second knockout. After Aldo charged forward with a right, McGregor countered perfectly with a left.
Black then revised McGregor's prediction at the pre-fight press conference, asking McGregor for his thoughts on the uncanny similarity to how the Aldo fight played out.
“If you can see it and have the courage to say it, it will happen,” McGregor replied.
Conor McGregor's sensational UFC 194 KO revisited
Just three fights later, McGregor became the UFC's first simultaneous two-division world champion when he knocked out Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205. After Aldo won the interim title at UFC 200, McGregor vacated the lineal featherweight title.
McGregor also successfully predicted knockout victories over Dennis Siver, Dustin Poirier and Donald Cerrone during his career. But Aldo's prediction was by far his most detailed pre-fight prediction, which made the UFC 194 outcome all the more incredible.
As McGregor prepares for a potential boxing match with Logan Paul, one of his biggest UFC moments remains a hot topic among fans and pundits. When he returns to the Octagon for another fight, McGregor will look to recreate his previous magic.
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