Aldo, McGregor will finally collide in cage

Both champion Jose Aldo and interim champion Conor McGregor hit the featherweight limit of 145 on the nose Friday, paving the way for their title fight at the MGM Grand Garden Saturday in the main event of UFC 194.

To preview the event, former Cage Warriors world champion Chris Fields and MMA journalist Mark O’Toole joined Emmet Ryan to preview UFC 194’s main event.

Then it was time for the fighters to face off. UFC President Dana White had his hands full trying to keep McGregor and Aldo separated on the stage.

A moment of tension that briefly looked like it may escalate was quickly defused, as Aldo and McGregor faced off for what was the 10th time in 2015.

Yet the Irishman’s eventual earnings for the fight could come in way over the $1m mark once revenues from ticket sales and pay-per-view purchases are distributed.

Aldo vs McGregor was expected to take place on July 11, but the Brazilian withdrew just weeks before the event after suffering a fractured rib during training.

“I think every fight is the biggest fight of my career, the next one is always the biggest one, so I’m looking at this one as the biggest fight in my career because it’s the next one”, said Aldo. Aldo hasn’t lost a fight since 2005 and has been unbeaten since, McGregor wants to break that Aldo win streak and ring in a new era. In the best fight of the week so far, Tony Ferguson tapped out Edson Barboza after a bloody two-round lightweight contest.

Aldo has dominated the UFC featherweight division, holding onto the company’s title ever since he won it in 2010. “This one will be a changing of the guard, me bringing in a new era”, said McGregor.

Both Aldo and McGregor are undefeated in the UFC, and both have excellent overall MMA records with Aldo boasting a 25-1 record compared to McGregor’s 18-2.

Aldo may not be able to knockout McGregor, but a fearless prediction has “Junior” winning via unanimous decision and unifying the UFC featherweight title belt.

“It’s not hard for me to get motivated”, he said.

We deserved to go a little bit longer but I still feel that precision beats power and timing beats speed all day so it would have happened sooner or later.

I’m going to embarrass Jose in there.

The deep respect so many fighters have for Aldo means that many say he will beat the upstart McGregor.