The wait is almost over.
For the first time ever, the UFC has scheduled three events on consecutive days, and the final card features the most anticipated fight of the year: a title unification bout between longtime featherweight champion Jose Aldo and interim belt-holder Conor McGregor.
Nearly 11 months have passed since Conor McGregor vaulted over the cage wall in Boston, bum-rushed a bizarrely amused Jose Aldo, and set in motion the most anticipated featherweight fight in the sport's young history
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Now if that pattern continues into Saturday night, and McGregor finishes Aldo inside of the first round at UFC 194 as he has promised, the Las Vegas Strip may very well burn to the ground. The merriment of UFC 189 would look like a wake compared to the party that ensues if the fighting pride of Ireland backs up all of 2015's craziness with one final and dramatic flourish, proving the point that he insists he set out to prove all along.
During Wednesday’s press conference leading up to UFC 194 at MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, the 27-year-old didn’t direct any of his typical vitriol towards Aldo and barely even looked at Brazilian jiu-jitsu expert. Instead McGregor emitted a far more relaxed demeanor, compared to his antics before he and Aldo were originally scheduled to fight at UFC 189 in July.
"I am in a state of Zen," McGregor told reporters. "The closer the fight gets . . . the face becomes blank. There is no face. It's just blank, and a fresh body type."
McGregor even alluded to a more calm-before-the storm mindset as he seeks his 14th straight victory, 16th career knockout, and solidification of the belt he claimed on an interim basis from Chad Mendes. Against Mendes, McGregor was a -175 favorite, and won the match with a second-round TKO.
The 29-year-old Aldo has succumbed to defeat in more than 10 years, and his quick striking capabilities blended with his grappling and martial arts background are poignant reasons why he can drag McGregor into the later rounds.
Aldo showed he can at least trade a verbal barb or two with McGregor.
"That's not a problem, his spies must be telling him I'm going to go in there and win the fight," Aldo said. "So, I'm very easy about that."
The betting public still views McGregor as the favorite to outright rule the featherweight division, but his odds have taken a hit recently. McGregor is a -130 favorite, slightly down from -145, compared to Aldo improving from +115 to even, according to Bovada.lv.
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