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What next after a historic night in VegasUFC 194 was a historic event. Biggest PPV of the year, 2nd biggest gate of all time and the emergence of the biggest star in a long time. Conor McGregor sent shockwaves through the MMA world by knocking the greatest featherweight of all time out in just 13 seconds.It’s such an amazing accomplishment that even after all these days, it still feels like a dream.McGregor’s win cements his status as the undisputed unified world featherweight champion and the biggest draw in the UFC. With the fight now in the past, attention is quickly turning to what the Irishman will do next. Will it be the lightweight title? Will it be Frankie Edgar in a featherweight defence? Will it be Jose Aldo? All questions worthy of debate.McGregor however was not the only newly crowned champion this weekend, Luke Rockhold emerged as the new middleweight champion after a dominant display against Chris Weidman. Just like McGreor, there are quite a few options for Rockhold that demand discussion.While it’s happy days for the new champions, Jose Aldo and Chris Weidman sit in the depths of the dark side of the sport. Both were humbled by foes who had called them inferior. Both will require some time to get mentally and physically ready and both may very well have to fight their way back into title contention.Here we look at the possible matchups for the 4 main eventers from UFC 194
#1 Conor McGregor
After his record breaking win at UFC 194, McGregor now has the eyes of the entire MMA world firmly fixed on his every move. He is the biggest star in the game and is one of the few fighters who can dictate his own career path almost independent from the whims and fancies of the UFC brass.
The first ever UFC undisputed champion from Ireland has separated himself from the pack. He is a category of 1 and has an entire nation behind him.
Despite Jose Aldo’s reign of dominance, his performance does not seem to warrant an immediate title rematch. With the Brazilian out, there are two paths left for Conor.
The first is that he stays at 145 and faces Frankie Edgar who has been promised a title shot. Edgar has a wave of support behind him and overcame Chad Mendes quicker than even McGregor did.
However a lot of what happens next with Conor depends on the outcome of next week’s lightweight title fight between Rafael Dos Anjos and Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone.
In an interview earlier this week, McGregor stated that should Cowboy emerge with the title, the UFC management would allow him to go up and attempt to become a 2 division UFC champion. McGregor’s coach John Kavanagh has stated that he does not want McGregor to make the cut to 145 again as it is too hard on the Irishman.
With the way the things are playing out, the future of 2 entire divisions rests on the outcome of the Dos Anjos vs. Cowboy fight. Should McGregor not move up, a long awaited Frankie Edgar fight would be a site to see.
#2 Jose Aldo
A 10 year reign ended in just over 10 seconds. The greatest featherweight of all time was humiliated on the biggest stage he has ever been on. All the mind games, all the trash talk, all the provocation probably took a toll of Jose. After the fight the Brazilian asked for a rematch however given how clean the victory was, that is unlikely.
Aldo however hardly has to go to the back of the line. He is one win away from another shot at Conor McGregor. The problem for Aldo however that there is no logical opponent for him. One would think that should Aldo lose again in his next fight then whoever beats him will become the number 1 contender.
Chad Mendes is coming off 3 losses in 4 and has not earned that spot. Edgar is next in line for the title and everyone else is a bit off from being worthy of a title eliminator. The dream scenario for Aldo would be McGregor going up to 155 and vacating the featherweight title.
This would set up a natural Aldo vs. Edgar fight for the featherweight championship and a win there could earn Aldo another shot at McGregor.
Should McGregor stick around and fight Frankie Edgar however then Aldo would become the biggest Edgar fan in the world. If Edgar does beat the Irishman, Aldo will be a natural number 1 contender having already beaten Edgar once before.
However if McGregor wins than a fight with someone like Max Holloway seems logical with the winner getting the shot at McGregor.
All of this is however dependent on how long it takes Aldo to recover. Not so much physically as mentally. Having his legacy stained in such fashion has to be painful. The pictures of Aldo crying in the octagon confirm that it is.
The picture of Aldo in his locker room after the fight is tough to look at. The greatest champions overcome adversity and come back stronger. This is the greatest fight of Aldo’s career but one he is capable of winning.
It will be a tough, tough road back to the top and will be interesting to see if Aldo wants to walk that path. Especially with all the retirement talk that was doing the rounds.
#3 Luke Rockhold
What a performance the new middleweight champion put in on Sunday. The fact that he was suffering from staph infection and was close to pulling out only enhances what he did. By beating Chris Weidman, Rockhold once and for all put to bed all the doubts over Strikeforce alums.
Going forward, Luke has 3 realistic options. There is a case to be made for Weidman to get a rematch. Champions who put up less of a fight than the New York native were granted immediate rematches and some would say he is entitled to another shot at Rockhold.
However Rockhold’s dominant performance, particularly from the second round onwards is a major obstacle standing between the former king and a rematch against the new champion.
Yoel Romero was promised a title shot after he beat Jacare in an unofficial number 1 contender’s match however Romero was hardly impressive gassing out half way through the first round. The fence grab in the second which prevented Jacare from gaining an advantageous position doesn’t help.
Nor does the fact that most people scored the fight for Jacare by split decision or a draw. However Romero did get the win and could very well be the man to face Rockhold.
Then there is the fight that Rockhold really wants. The one he has been campaigning for. The one he has been begging for. A rematch against Vitor Belfort. Belfort knocked Rockhold out with a spinning kick in Rockhold’s UFC debut.
Of course it merits mentioning that Belfort is a shadow of the fighter he was then and was put away with authority by Weidman just 6 months ago. Belfort has since beaten Dan Henderson in the first round.
However a win over a 42 year old legend well past his prime hardly warrants a title shot. Still, given how much Rockhold wants it, Belfort’s star power and the fact that it is an easy sell for the UFC, Rockhold – Belfort 2 could very well be the next middleweight title fight.
#4 Chris Weidman
The first thing Chris Weidman will have to deal with is a spell on the side-lines. He was punished by Rockhold, particularly in the third and fourth round. As stated earlier, Weidman has a strong case for a rematch. However he may not be ready in time and Rockhold could very well defend his title against another challenger before that.
If not a title shot, Weidman facing Jacare Souza would make sense. There is a general feeling that Jacare was robbed off the title shot against Romero and booking the Brazilian in another number 1 contender’s match would be a good idea. Weidman and Jacare both have history with Rockhold and both are more than worthy challengers to the new champion.
Even if the UFC were to book Weidman against somebody other than Jacare, you would imagine that the American is only 1 win away from a title shot.
