UFC 194 Takeaways: Referees, Robberies and New Kings

Let’s get this clear right now: No one should be anointing Conor McGregor as “unbeatable.” Same goes for Luke Rockhold. A convincing win does not make one the Greatest of All Time.

Both of these guys are one spinning heel kick away from the town of Ronda Rouseyville. As much as we love to hate on Floyd Mayweather Jr., let’s remember that he’s 49-0. Do you even know what McGregor and Rockhold’s records are? I’ll wait for you to go to Wikipedia to find out.  … That’s right, McGregor is 19-2. Rockhold is 15-2. Combined their records are 34-4. Mayweather still has them beat.

Cheers to Rockhold and McGregor, but let’s look at the results of UFC 194 with a sober head. What does all this mean and where are we headed now that there’s a new world order in the UFC? Let me tell you:

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5. Herb Dean Needs Glasses

I don’t care who says it or how they explain it. Referee Herb Dean should have stopped the Chris Weidman vs. Luke Rockhold fight in the third round. Weidman took a wicked beating, the kind that is bad for the UFC’s reputation. Any fool could see Weidman was out. Is the threshold for stopping a fight now total unconsciousness? Weidman had his hands up, but he wasn’t blocking the shots. There’s was nothing sport or athletic about Rockhold firing punch after punch at Weidman. Weidman will never, ever be the same after those blows. That was just disgusting.

4.  Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza got robbed, deserves a rematch

Yes, Jacare Souza was almost knocked out in Round 1. But he won the next two rounds. At worst, the fight was a draw. No one wants to see Rockhold vs. Yoel Romero, but a rematch between Souza and Rockhold, who fought in Strikeforce for the middleweight championship, would be a great fight. Rockhold beat him by decision in the first fight, but things could change dramatically in a rematch. Romero doesn’t deserve a title fight. If anything, give Tim Kennedy the rematch with Romero and let the winner of that fight take on the winner of a Rockhold vs. Jacare rematch.

3. Dana White Probably Hates Jose Aldo

Guess who just got obliterated and lost his chance at the cover of the EA UFC 2 video game? That’s right, Jose Aldo is out and McGregor is in. But someone else recently got tossed around like yesterday’s garbage and she’s still on the cover. Ronda Rousey stays, but Aldo is gone. The truth is White has been trying to get rid of Aldo for years. Aldo is quiet and not marketable in the U.S. Who thinks Aldo will be headlining a Bellator tentpole event sometime down the road? Aldo does not appear to be part of the UFC’s future.

TWITTER: Conor McGregor Shocked Twitter Beyond the Internet’s Threshold

2. CM Punk Can Last 13 Seconds

No matter what happens to CM Punk in his debut, I am certain he could last 13 seconds. Aldo’s knockout must have been humiliating for him. He went out there and fought like he was just some drunk guy off the street. Punk, even if he gets knocked, as a good heel, is smart enough to know how to stall and buy time. Aldo looked scared going into the fight. He’s now simultaneously the guy who didn’t lose for a decade and the guy who was knocked out in 13 seconds. CM Punk certainly must have been uplifted that one of the greatest fighters in the game today was easily knocked out. If it can happen to Aldo, it can happen to anyone (but probably not in 13 seconds).

1. McGregor Holds All The Cards

McGregor may be the best and worst thing to ever happen to the UFC. He’s actually bigger than the UFC brand at this point in time. He’s bringing unprecedented attention to the company, but he’s also rumored to be asking for mega-money with his new contract. The good news: McGregor will force UFC President Dana White to pay more money, a move that will eventually elevate the salaries of all UFC fighters.  The bad news: White is probably going to have to cut the roster significantly to afford McGregor. But for the first time in company history, we have a fighter who is going to go to bat for himself and other UFC fighters, and White will be left with no choice to pay up.