Conor McGregor was shocked by Jose Aldo's UFC retirement, and felt he was on his way to one last shot at bantamweight gold.
McGregor and Aldo had an iconic rivalry in 2014 and 2015, which culminated in a huge world title fight at UFC 194 which the Irishman won in just 13 seconds. It was the first time that anyone other than the Brazilian had held featherweight gold after a legendary decade-long unbeaten run which cemented him as an all-time great.
And that loss wasn't ultimately definitive for Aldo's career; he immediately won the interim belt back when he defeated Frankie Edgar at UFC 200. And he was quickly elevated to undisputed after McGregor moved up to lightweight and eventually switched to boxing, before losing the title and moving down to bantamweight, where he fought for the undisputed belt as well.
