UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor has grand plans for 2016. The Irishman intends to put pen to paper on a $100-million contract and conquer another weight class, with no immediate thought of rematching Jose Aldo.
In the time it takes most to update their Facebook status, McGregor dethroned the only featherweight champion the UFC had ever known at UFC 194.
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The 27-year-old prizefighter hoisted an orange, white and green flag into the air, celebrating his landmark championship victory in front of a passionate audience, who pelted beer toward the cage in celebration.
In the backdrop to McGregor’s victory ceremony, a disappointed Aldo slumped against the cage fence.
The dejected former champion had a cut over the bridge of his nose and stared into the distance, attempting to process his first defeat in over a decade.
Minutes later, the Brazilian fighter returned to his dressing room with a towel draped over his face. He sat on the ground, with his head in his hands for more than 10 minutes.
The 29-year-old’s teammates gathered around their fallen friend, one by one offering words of comfort and a hearty hug.
The following day, Aldo was still reeling from the heartbreaking loss but had already begun talks of re-capturing the featherweight championship.
“I want a rematch. I think I have that right. Not because I say so, but my career speaks for itself,” he told Brazilian news outlet Combate.
It’s an unwritten rule in combat sports that when a dominant champion loses, they are granted an immediate rematch.
Last month, former UFC women’s bantamweight queen Ronda Rousey lost her championship to ex-boxing titlist and unbeaten MMA fighter Holly Holm.
It took UFC president Dana White just a few weeks to confirm that Rousey will get an automatic rematch, with the bout heavily rumoured to take place next July on the UFC 200 pay-per-view.
It seems Aldo won’t be offered the same luxury.
Following the event on Sunday, the seasoned combat sports promoter revealed the UFC’s future plans with McGregor. Spoiler: McGregor versus Aldo II wasn’t even mentioned.
“If [McGregor] vacated and went to 155 [pounds], it’d probably be Frankie Edgar versus Jose (Aldo) for the title. If not, then we do Frankie Edgar, and José Aldo would fight somebody else,” White told UFC’s video team backstage.
The UFC’s inconsistent treatment of dethroned king and queen has been frustrating for fans and fighters alike. Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones is the latest to chime in on the issue, supporting Aldo’s bid to get a return match.
If Rousey is granted an immediate rematch I would expect the same treatment for Aldo. It only seems right https://t.co/taoqVItasU
— Jon Bones Jones (@JonnyBones) December 14, 2015
He isn’t wrong. Aside from pure marketability, there isn’t one good reason why Rousey deserves an immediate rematch more than Aldo.
Rousey was incredibly dominant during her tenure as UFC champion, holding the crown for 1074 days and lodging six successful title defences.
That’s impressive, no doubt. But Aldo was the 145-pound king for 1848 days, racking up seven defences against a significantly tougher crop of talent.
Not to mention, Aldo lost his title after a flash knockout in a matter of seconds. That naturally gets chalked up as an easy victory for the SBG Ireland prodigy McGregor, but also leaves a bunch of unanswered questions.
None of these are determining factors in booking title rematches, though. Like with anything in combat sports it all comes down to dollars and cents.
The announcement of Rousey versus Holm II for 2016 got a mostly negative reception from hardcore fans.
I understand the feeling. Just last month, the two-time Olympian received a bloody nose, a split lip, a badly bruised face and a likely concussion after her meeting with Holm in Melbourne.
Despite the decisive victory, UFC decision makers recognise that the rematch is a multi-multi-million dollar fight and the opinions of the vocal minority won’t make it any less of a box office success.
The UFC matchmaking process is often based on hunches and gut feelings to determine which matches the public is willing to pay top dollar to see.
There isn’t an exact science to it, but more often than not matchmakers Joe Silva and Sean Shelby make the right call.
If the UFC’s decision makers believed that McGregor needed Aldo to remain an international pay-per-view juggernaut, they would probably be at the negotiation table within the next few weeks.
But McGregor doesn’t, so they won’t.
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