Last night, at the UFC’s Fight Night event in Boston, Ireland’s Conor McGregor defeated Germany’s Dennis Siver in the second round of their five-round fight. McGregor delivered the finish in the second round after a dominant first round that saw McGregor land a lot of punches and kicks while keeping Siver at bay.
McGregor immediately called out UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo in the aftermath of the fight, and UFC President Dana White is on record as stating that McGregor is next in line for a title shot.
Siver offered very little resistance to McGregor, whose unusual length and unorthodox kicks and punches seemed to hit Siver at will. Siver, known for his spin kicks and hard striking of his own, could not solve the riddle McGregor presented.
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McGregor versus Also will be an excellent match in terms of excitement. You feel bad for Frankie Edgar, who probably deserves the next shot more than McGregor st this point, but from a business and hype perspective, it is difficult to argue with what the UFC is donig here. Talk that McGregor-Aldo could be held in a stadium in Ireland may have been premature, as the title fight now appears to be targeted to Memorial Day weekend in Las Vegas.
Aldo was at ringside for this bout and, when McGregor won, McGregor sought him out and had to be held back by security. Aldo appeared more amused than anything, and he is a well tested champion already, so it will be interesting to see what kind of line comes in on this fight. McGregor was a massive favorite over Siver, but Aldo is a whole different story.
McGregor critics say that he has not done enough to earn the fight, and that if he had been properly tested as he climbed the rankings, he may not be good enough to get by Cub Swanson, Frankie Edgar and Chad Mendes. But that is all academic now, as he has the title shot and you have to give him a chance.
Maybe the UFC does know what they are doing, as Edgar, Mendes and the like are appealing follow-ups for McGregor should he beat Aldo. Stranger things have happened.
