UFC 194 Results: The Real Winners and Losers from Aldo vs. McGregor Fight Card

It finally happened.

After plowing through all other opponents, after a buildup lasting more than a year, after an injury pushed it back, after a world tour and enough sound bites to power Moldova for 11 days, Conor McGregor and Jose Aldo finally fought Saturday for the undisputed featherweight title.

It went down at UFC 194, serving as the culmination of a ludicrously stacked card. Maybe the best MMA card of 2015.

You know McGregor as the most famous MMA fighter on planet Earth, Non-Rousey Division. You know Aldo as the top-rated MMA fighter on that same planet, in his own or any other division.

Ireland vs. Brazil. Brash vs. stoic. Offense vs. defense. Interim champ vs. lineal. Whatever kind of storyline you like, this fight had it.

The real kicker, though? This was just one single part of the evening's intrigue, and only one of the titles that was up for grabs.

In the co-main event, middleweight champion Chris Weidman put his belt on the line against challenger Luke Rockhold.

One fight down from that, terrifying finishers Yoel Romero and Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza did battle to see who would face the co-main event winner next.

There was intrigue all across the 12-fight card, from Fight Pass to finale. And as always, the final stat lines only reveal so much. These are the real winners and losers from UFC 194.

For the literal-minded among us, full results appear on the final slide.

Winner: Conor McGregor

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We have a new undisputed UFC featherweight champion, and his name is Conor McGregor.

Thirteen seconds. One punch. That's all it took.

McGregor took the center of the cage and landed a left hook that appeared at first glance to graze Aldo's chin with minimal impact.

But then Aldo pitched forward like a stringless marionette. One hammer fist sealed the deal, and referee John McCarthy stopped the action.

"It's like I've always said," McGregor told broadcaster Joe Rogan in the cage after the fight. "No one can take that left-hand shot."

Apparently. 

The fast-talking Irishman has now walked all of his talk. He just knocked out the only person to ever hold the UFC featherweight belt, a guy who hadn't lost since 2005.

McGregor is the man.

Loser: Jose Aldo

Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Getty Images

Jose Aldo didn't know what hit him. Almost literally.

Aldo was visibly confused as McGregor hugged him. Why weren't they fighting?

It was a strange visual for fans. Until Saturday night, no other fighter had ever held the undisputed featherweight belt in the history of the UFC. Aldo has literally never competed in the UFC as a non-champion.

In speaking with Rogan afterward, an upset and befuddled Aldo said through an interpreter that he wants an immediate rematch.

Who knows whether that will happen? McGregor has other challengers, such as Frankie Edgar. A move to lightweight may also be in the plans. Aldo is a brilliant fighter, but he took quite an unceremonious tumble off his longtime pedestal Saturday night.

Winner: Luke Rockhold

John Locher/Associated Press

It wasn't just McGregor. We have a new champion in the UFC middleweight division.

After losing the first round to Chris Weidman, Luke Rockhold rallied. That's probably putting it mildly. He went to his range kicking game in the second and used it to good effect, wearing down Weidman with attacks to the body and legs. 

And then there was the third.

Weidman, in the process of losing his second consecutive round, tried to reinvigorate his performance with a spinning wheel kick. Rockhold easily caught it and used the leverage to take Weidman to the ground. It was the beginning of the end.

"Once I get it on the ground, I'm operating on a different level than, I think, anyone right now," Rockhold told Rogan in the cage after the fight. 

In the final 45 seconds of the round, Rockhold rained punches and elbows from the mount position, opening several cuts on Weidman's face and forehead. The bout could have easily been stopped, but referee Herb Dean allowed it to continue.

Once the fourth began, it was more of the same—and, arguably, some unnecessary punishment for a reeling Weidman. Finally, Dean decided he had seen enough and ended the fight. New champ. 

"I sucked it up and had to go another round," Rockhold said. "But whatever."

Rockhold has now won five straight; his only UFC loss was a head-kick flash knockout by Vitor Belfort. He has said before, per MMAFighting.com's Ariel Helwani, he'd like to run that one back. Why not?

Loser: Chris Weidman

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Chris Weidman (right)

Chris Weidman has never been beaten like that in a pro MMA cage. Not even close.

He lamented that ill-fated spinning kick with Joe Rogan after the fight.

"He caught me and broke me down with it," Weidman told Rogan. "It probably wasn't the smartest move."

But it wasn't the only bad thing that happened to Weidman. His face afterward, looking like raw hamburger, was a testament to that. He tired fairly early and had no consistent answer for Rockhold's kicks. Once Rockhold had him on his back, he was largely helpless.

Weidman is still an amazing fighter and only 31 years old. He will surely be back. But if he wants a rematch to go differently, he has some things to work on. 

Winner: Ronaldo 'Jacare' Souza

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Ronaldo Souza (top) outgrappled Yoel Romero.

Statistically speaking, Jacare Souza got the better of Yoel Romero Saturday night.

In a fight that likely determined the next middleweight title challenger, Souza landed 30 of 52 significant strikes for a 57 percent landing rate, according to FightMetric. That's compared with 46-of-92 and 50 percent for Romero.

But perhaps more impressive than that, Souza took down Romero in the third round. Yes, Romero was gassed, but he's still an Olympic wrestler. The takedown was perfectly timed and executed, and once there, Souza was able to pass Romero's guard.

Romero did the most damage in the fight, thanks to a big ground-and-pound barrage in the opening stanza. But Souza appeared to win the third and a razor-close and slow-paced second round. 

The judges gave the nod to Romero in a split decision. Given the closeness of the fight—an excellent performance from both men, by the way—it's hard to get too upset. But in at least one observer's book, the better man didn't end up with his hand raised this time.

Winner: Grappling

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Demian Maia (left) and Gunnar Nelson

Can someone remind me how Demian Maia ever loses a fight?

The second-degree Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and ADCC world champ controlled another BJJ standout in Gunnar Nelson from horn to horn. If there is a greater grappler in the MMA space today than Maia, I'd love to know who that person is.

The judges' final scores—30-26, 30-25 and 30-25—tell you all you need to know about Maia's dominance over Nelson, a guy with nine submission wins on his record. Rather than attempt to explore a possible striking advantage over Maia, Nelson chose to grapple, and he lost that gamble.

You know who won, though? All of us. Far from plodding to a boring stalemate, the two rolled in the cage like two tarantulas fighting over a buffalo wing. Though Maia had the upper hand almost the entire time, bloodying Nelson's face with nasty elbows from mount, both men demonstrated that great jiu-jitsu and grappling-centric fights are anything but dull.

As MMAFighting.com analyst Luke Thomas tweeted: "Maia might have the best mount in MMA. What he is doing to another internationally-decorated black belt is impossible to describe."

That's true of the entire fight. It was a tremendous and thoroughly satisfying display. Kudos to winner and loser alike.

Loser: Urijah Faber

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According to Odds Shark, Urijah Faber was a minus-490 favorite going into his undercard main event with Frankie Saenz. The California Kid took care of business, winning a unanimous decision.

So why is he a loser?

The win didn't come quite as easily for the 36-year-old Faber as it might have a few years ago. He showed his trademark quickness early and hurt Saenz badly with a barrage of punches and elbows early in the second round, but he couldn't close the deal.

Saenz rallied and mounted some offense of his own, with Faber unable to control the action with his usually steely grappling.

A win is a win; however, Faber is not the same. He'll continue to get big fights thanks to his marketability, but he may be better suited these days for the novelty circuit. 

Winner: UFC 194

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There was a lot of hype about how good this card was supposed to be. It delivered.

UFC 194 has stiff competition from UFC 189—another event headlined by McGregor, as he defeated Chad Mendes to take the interim title—for the best card of the year. 

In the immediate wake of UFC 194, this December card gets the nod. Two titles changed hands, and brilliant fighters put on brilliant displays. This card is why we love MMA.

UFC 194 Full Card Results

Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Conor McGregor

Main Card

• Conor McGregor def. Jose Aldo by KO, 0:13, Rd. 1 (new undisputed UFC featherweight champion)
• Luke Rockhold def. Chris Weidman by TKO, 3:12, Rd. 4 (new UFC middleweight champion)
• Yoel Romero def. Ronaldo Souza by split decision
• Demian Maia def. Gunnar Nelson by unanimous decision
• Max Holloway def. Jeremy Stephens by unanimous decision

Preliminary Card

• Urijah Faber def. Frankie Saenz by unanimous decision
• Tecia Torres def. Jocelyn Jones-Lybarger by unanimous decision
• Warlley Alves def. Colby Covington by submission (guillotine choke), 1:26, Rd. 1
• Leonardo Santos def. Kevin Lee by TKO, 3:26, Rd. 1
• Magomed Mustafaev def. Joe Proctor by TKO, 1:54, Rd. 1
• Yancy Medeiros def. John Makdessi by split decision
• Court McGee def. Marcio Alexandre Jr. by unanimous decision

Scott Harris writes about MMA for Bleacher Report. For more stuff like this, follow Scott on Twitter.