McGregor stops Siver in second, confronts champ Aldo in crowd
By the end of the night, Conor McGregor had struck a familiar pose atop the Octagon cage -- victorious, Irish flag over his head, and motioning for a championship belt to be placed around his waist.
In the main event of Sunday's UFC Fight Night, McGregor needed a little over one round to finish an overmatched Dennis Siver and earn a shot at featherweight world champion Jose Aldo.
After dropping Siver with punches in the second, McGregor mounted the German and finished the fight with strikes at 1:54 of the round.
"I said two minutes, I meant two rounds." McGregor joked after previously predicting he would finish off Siver in just two minutes.
His first order of business after the win? Leap over the cage wall and jump on a ringside table in front of Aldo. McGregor spent a few seconds jawing at the champ while Aldo stood smiling before he went back into the ring for his post-fight interview.
Regarding the champion, Aldo, a very confident McGregor said simply, "F--- him.
"I'm going to hand him my spit bucket, tell him to spit shine that belt ... go back to Brazil with that spit bucket."
Aldo was in attendance in the TD Garden to take in the fight and perhaps get in the cage and stand face-to-face with his challenger, but when things got heated, the UFC seemed to think better of the plan. As it stands, the announced plan is to have "Notorious" challenge Aldo, the UFC's longest-reigning champion, next.
The Irishman -- ranked fifth in the featherweight division going into the fight -- has five straight UFC wins over increasingly better and more experienced opposition. He is also one of the promotion's most popular fighters, and an easy sell against Aldo.
As for the fight that earned McGregor this coming title shot, it was clear from the start that he had a speed advantage that translated into a power one as well. He repeatedly hurt the 10th-ranked Siver with kicks to the body and legs, as well as punches to the head.
Whoa!!! @TheNotoriousMMA jumps out of the Octagon and goes after @ufc Champ @josealdojunior #UFCBoston https://t.co/fHp2eqXXiS
— FOX Sports 1 (@FOXSports1) January 19, 2015
By the start of the second, Siver was bloody. Minutes later, he took a seat after eating more punches.
McGregor pounced on the veteran and wouldn't let him up, forcing the referee to stop the fight due to strikes.
McGregor has improved his record to 17-1, and Siver's drops to 22-10.
The UFC featherweight division has a new No. 1 contender in Conor McGregor.
