5 times the aura of a UFC champion was destroyed completely

#3 Jose Aldo vs. Conor McGregor

You could perhaps argue that it wasn’t just the loss to Conor McGregor that destroyed Jose Aldo’s aura, it was the entire build to that fateful fight. The Brazilian was originally supposed to defend his Featherweight crown against the brash Irishman at UFC 189, but pulled out citing a rib injury – something that was openly questioned by the UFC brass.

When he did step in with McGregor a few months later at UFC 194, he looked psyched out prior to the fight and then lost in truly embarrassing fashion – knocked out by a single punch just 13 seconds into the fight.

Prior to that, Aldo had looked unstoppable, winning a total of 15 fights under the Zuffa banner including a total of nine title defences. Nobody had truly tested his brand of vicious kickboxing and incredible takedown defence, but with one big left hand – and months of trash talk - McGregor destroyed his unbeatable aura for good. Not only had Aldo been humanised, but the fear factor he once carried was gone for good.

Aldo didn’t fight again until UFC 200 – seven months later – and while he defeated Frankie Edgar, it wasn’t his best performance and he looked gun-shy in comparison to a lot of his older fights. His next showing against Max Holloway really showed how he’d lost his aura, as he hit the Hawaiian cleanly multiple times in the opening round to no effect, before being destroyed by strikes in the third.

To say he suddenly looks beatable to all of his opponents would be an understatement, and it’s practically all down to McGregor.