"In the Jungle, when a king gets old, a young gorilla comes up and takes everything he owns," McGregor.
These were the exact words uttered by the number one contender (Conor McGregor) against the UFC featherweight champion of the world, Jose Aldo.
Clearly, his (Aldo’s) unprecedented dominance in the featherweight division for over a decade (literally, for he hasn’t lost a fight in 10 years) makes him king. Therefore, the dubiety that perseveres in everyone’s mind is whether he has it in him to weather the Irish storm, which undoubtedly is the biggest threat ever posed to his pride.
April 6th, 2013 was when Conor made his debut in the UFC and got a first round victory over Marcus Brimage. Since then, he has only bolstered in name and recognition. The natty dresser with a big(huge actually) mouth, emphatically established his reputation as a person who backed up his talk in the ring.
With five victories under his belt and a world of hype behind him, he was set to face Jose Aldo for the championship fight at UFC 189 scheduled for July 2015. The fight was making the headlines everywhere and the promos were being hugely successful with overwhelming attendances wherever they went.
However, due to a severe rib injury, Aldo couldn’t be fight-ready by July. Dana White(the president of the UFC) therefore scheduled a fight for the interim title between Conor and Chad Mendes. The rest they say is history.
The bullying victory that Conor got over an opponent who had till date given Aldo the toughest fight of his career, has clearly blown the lid off the commotion and drama that is being built up to the fight to take place in Las Vegas, Nevada on December 12(UFC 194).
It is the law of the jungle for any alpha male to be defeated and make way for the new champ. Anderson Silva, Cain Velasquez and off late Ronda Rousey have fallen prey to this thumb rule. But is it time, or has the king still got it in him to viciously and mercilessly defend what is his, is therefore, the question.
History will be made, legacies will be created on the December 12 when the biggest fight since the inception of the UFC(as quoted by Dana White) goes down.