| UFC 194: Aldo vs. McGregor | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 The poster for UFC 194: Aldo vs. McGregor | ||||
| Promotion | Ultimate Fighting Championship | |||
| Date | December 12, 2015 (2015-12-12) | |||
| Venue | MGM Grand Garden Arena | |||
| City | Las Vegas,Nevada | |||
| Attendance | 16,516[1] | |||
| Total gate | $10,006,249[2] | |||
| Buyrate | 1,200,000[3] | |||
| Event chronology | ||||
| ||||
UFC 194: Aldo vs. McGregor was amixed martial arts event held by theUltimate Fighting Championship on December 12, 2015, at theMGM Grand Garden Arena inLas Vegas, Nevada.[4][5]
The event was originally scheduled to take place on December 5. However, theMGM Grand Garden Arena had already been booked for anAndrea Bocelli concert, prompting the UFC to look at alternative venues such as theMandalay Bay Events Center. TheAT&T Stadium inArlington, Texas was the most relevant venue under consideration, which would likely have made the event the highest attended in the promotion's history.[6] Subsequently, on August 10, UFC presidentDana White confirmed the event would take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, albeit one week later on December 12.[4]
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 atThe Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan.[7]
The event was headlined by aUFC Featherweight Championship unification bout between then champion PradyJosé Aldo and then interim championConor McGregor.[4] The bout was originally expected to take place atUFC 189. 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 andChad Mendes.[8]
The co-main event featured aUFC Middleweight Championship bout between then undefeated championChris Weidman and formerStrikeforce Middleweight championLuke Rockhold.[9]
A middleweight bout betweenRonaldo Souza andYoel Romero was originally booked forUFC 184 and laterUFC on Fox: Machida vs. Rockhold. However, the bout was cancelled both times due to Souza being struck with pneumonia[10] and Romero pulling out due to a ligament and meniscus tear in his knee, respectively.[11] The fight was later rescheduled for this event.[12]
Michelle Waterson was expected to faceTecia Torres at the event. However, Waterson pulled out of the bout on November 24 citing an injury.[13] She was replaced bypromotional newcomerJocelyn Jones-Lybarger.[14]
On January 13, Romero was informed of a potential doping violation stemming from an out of competition test conducted byUSADA.[15] 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.[16] 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.[17] Eventually on April 4, both parts reached an agreement for a six-month suspension. USADA revealed that Romero tested positive foributamoren, agrowth hormone 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.[18]
Before the opening of the first round, they refused to touch gloves and went immediately into combat.[19] 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 twohammer fists until the referee (Big John McCarthy) 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.[20] The bout lasted 13 seconds. The knockout was the fastest finish in UFC title fight history.[20] “Again, nobody can take that left-hand shot,” said McGregor in the post-fight interview. “[Aldo's] powerful and he's fast. But precision beats power, and timing beats speed. And that’s what you saw there.”[20]
| Main Card | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weight class | Method | Round | Time | Notes | |||
| Featherweight | Conor McGregor (ic) | def. | José Aldo (c) | KO (punch) | 1 | 0:13 | [a] |
| Middleweight | Luke Rockhold | def. | Chris Weidman (c) | TKO (punches) | 4 | 3:12 | [b] |
| Middleweight | Yoel Romero | def. | Ronaldo Souza | Decision (split) (29–27, 28–29, 29–28) | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Welterweight | Demian Maia | def. | Gunnar Nelson | Decision (unanimous) (30–26, 30–25, 30–25) | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Featherweight | Max Holloway | def. | Jeremy Stephens | Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 30–27, 29–28) | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Preliminary Card (Fox Sports 1) | |||||||
| Bantamweight | Urijah Faber | def. | Frankie Saenz | Decision (unanimous) (29–28, 29–28, 30–27) | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Women's Strawweight | Tecia Torres | def. | Jocelyn Jones-Lybarger | Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 30–27, 30–27) | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Welterweight | Warlley Alves | def. | Colby Covington | Submission (guillotine choke) | 1 | 1:26 | |
| Lightweight | Leonardo Santos | def. | Kevin Lee | TKO (punches) | 1 | 3:26 | |
| Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass) | |||||||
| Lightweight | Magomed Mustafaev | def. | Joe Proctor | TKO (knees and punches) | 1 | 1:54 | |
| Lightweight | Yancy Medeiros | def. | John Makdessi | Decision (split) (29–28, 28–29, 29–28) | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Welterweight | Court McGee | def. | Márcio Alexandre Jr. | Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 29–28, 29–28) | 3 | 5:00 | |
The following fighters were awarded $50,000 bonuses:[22]
The following is the reported payout to the fighters as reported to theNevada State Athletic Commission. It does not include sponsor money and also does not include the UFC's traditional "fight night" bonuses.[23]
