Matches to Make After UFC 194

The hype behind the man was exceeded only by his performance.

Conor McGregor with one swing of his left hand quieted his detractors and set the MMA world on fire, as he unified the Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight title with a stunning 13-second knockout of the great Jose Aldo in the UFC 194 main event on Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. It was the fastest finish in a championship fight in UFC history.

Aldo stepped into the pocket with a straight-right-left hook combination, only to be met with a counter left hook from the Irishman. That was that. The Nova Uniao cornerstone crashed to the canvas in a defenseless state and absorbed two subsequent hammerfists to the face before referee John McCarthy could rescue him. The defeat was Aldo’s first since being submitted by Luciano Azevedo 10 years and 16 days ago.

McGregor has now rattled off 15 consecutive victories, 14 of them finishes, and owns a perfect 7-0 record in the UFC, with wins over Aldo, Chad Mendes, Dennis Siver, Dustin Poirier, Diego Brandao, Max Holloway and Marcus Brimage.

In wake of UFC 194 “Aldo vs. McGregor,” here are six matchups that ought to be considered:

Related » UFC 194 By the Numbers

Conor McGregor vs. Rafael dos Anjos-Donald Cerrone winner: The UFC has a full-blown superstar on its hands, and McGregor’s options seem almost unlimited. The Irishman has made it known that he has grown tired of the weight cut he endures at 145 pounds and would welcome a run in the lightweight division. UFC President Dana White opened the door further to the possibility during a post-fight interview on Fox Sports 1 when he stated McGregor would be granted an immediate title shot if he made the move. It would be hard to imagine a scenario in which he did not jump at the opportunity. Dos Anjos will defend the lightweight championship against Cerrone in the UFC on Fox 17 headliner on Dec. 19.

Frankie Edgar vs. Jose Aldo: Edgar has done everything in his power to earn another shot at the featherweight title, but his immediate future hinges on McGregor’s next move. “The Answer” delivered a stunning stoppage of his own at “The Ultimate Fighter 22” Finale, where he knocked out Chad Mendes in the first round of their main event to extend his current winning streak to five fights. If McGregor vacates the title to climb to 155 pounds, a rematch between Edgar and Aldo would seem like a logical step to fill the void. Aldo defeated Edgar by unanimous decision at UFC 156 in February 2013.

Luke Rockhold vs. Yoel Romero: All Rockhold needed was one miscue from Chris Weidman. The American Kickboxing Academy ace claimed the UFC middleweight championship with a fourth-round stoppage of the previously unbeaten Weidman in the co-main event. Rockhold capitalized on an ill-advised wheel kick from the champion in the third round, dragged him to the canvas and bludgeoned him with ground-and-pound. It was a hellacious beating from which Weidman could not recover. Romero, meanwhile, upped his UFC record to 7-0 with a split decision over Ronaldo Souza on the loaded UFC 194 main card.

Chris Weidman vs. Ronaldo Souza: The decision to throw a third-round wheel kick will likely haunt Weidman for the rest of his career. The previously undefeated Serra-Longo Fight Team rep was on the receiving end of a savage beatdown from that point forward and ultimately succumbed to fourth-round punches from Rockhold. Weidman must now deal with genuine adversity for the first time as a professional, all while competing in a division wrought with dangers. Souza weathered a spinning backfist knockdown and subsequent ground-and-pound from Romero, only to see his comeback bid fall short in a split decision loss.

Max Holloway vs. Ricardo Lamas: Holloway put his eighth straight win in the books with a unanimous decision over Jeremy Stephens. The gifted and ambitious Hawaiian was patient and measured against the heavy-handed Stephens, as he countered beautifully from the outside and even mixed in a takedown and some ground-and-pound. At 24, he has emerged as the most promising young contender in the division. Lamas last fought under the UFC Fight Night banner on Nov. 28, when he captured a unanimous decision from Diego Sanchez in Monterrey, Mexico.

Demian Maia vs. Johny Hendricks-Stephen Thompson winner: A forgotten piece of the puzzle at 170 pounds, Maia served notice to the division with another dominating performance. This time, he victimized Gunnar Nelson. Maia ran circles around the SBG Ireland grappler on the ground, controlling position while peppering him with ground strikes. His efforts were enough to earn 30-25 scores from two judges and 30-26 from another. Maia has won four fights in a row since his February 2014 loss to Rory MacDonald. Hendricks and Stephens will lock horns at UFC 196 on Feb. 6.