Just how big was Conor McGregor becoming a double champion at UFC 205? Let me put it in perspective. April 2016. Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the bill legalising MMA in the state of New York, making it the 50th and final state to lift the ban on the sport. In November 2016, the UFC held its first-ever event in the city with a first-ever kind of fight, tallying first-ever kind of numbers!
A record gate of $17.7M, which held strong for seven years until UFC Noche at the Las Vegas Sphere last year. 20,427 fans attended the fight night, marking the highest attendance for a domestic UFC event to date. And the best part? Conor McGregor became the first-ever simultaneous UFC double champion after an all-time great performance against Eddie Alvarez. “I would like to take this chance to apologize—to absolutely nobody! The double champ does what the f— he wants!” Conor McGregor declared during his iconic UFC 205 Octagon interview with Joe Rogan. But what if McGregor never touched that second belt?
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Conor McGregor vs Jose Aldo 2 could’ve been in the works
There are two ways Conor McGregor never captured that second belt – either he moved up and lost to Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205, or he never made the jump in weight to begin with. In either scenario, ‘Mystic Mac’ would have remained the featherweight champion. And in all likelihood, he would have been drawn into a high-stakes rematch with Jose Aldo to defend his title.
McGregor’s path to true UFC greatness went through ‘The King of Rio.’ A thirteen-second dismantling of the featherweight GOAT, in a fight that everyone expected McGregor to get served the humble pie in. The fastest finish in UFC title fight history to date. That was a statement. But, as McGregor himself said in the Octagon after the win, they deserved to go a little longer. The fans deserved to see them go a little longer.
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The argument was simple. In MMA, anyone can get caught at any moment. And to Aldo’s supporters, that’s exactly what happened to him that night at UFC 194. ‘The King of Rio’ carried the same sentiment. According to an ESPN article from 2015, Aldo told UFC Brazil, “In my opinion, I never stopped being the champion. I lost that fight because of an accident. I knew that I would win a rematch and would become champion again. It’s not my fault that he’s a coward. He was never the champion.” It was a scathing response to McGregor, who showed little interest in granting him a rematch.
Of course, Nate Diaz and Khabib Nurmagomedov were also part of McGregor’s biggest storylines, but Aldo vs. McGregor carried a different kind of weight. It wasn’t just a fight—it felt like two nations going to war! Ireland versus Brazil. The rivalry grew so massive that the UFC even staged separate press conferences in each country, highlighting just how deeply invested the fans were on both sides. If McGregor stuck to 145 lbs, we might not have even gotten the other two rivalries!
If ‘The Notorious’ had stayed at featherweight, the UFC almost certainly would have pushed for a blockbuster rematch with Aldo—to actually determine whether the decade-long king had truly fallen by accident or not. Such a fight would have shattered pay-per-view records. But let’s imagine McGregor defeats Aldo once again. What comes next? According to the rankings, a new and improved Max Holloway would have been waiting for him.
Conor McGregor vs. Max Holloway 2 at featherweight?
Conor McGregor vs. Max Holloway—who wouldn’t want to see that rematch? Especially when ‘The Notorious’ was in his prime and ‘Blessed’ had emerged as the hottest contender in the division. A showdown between the two would have generated millions for the UFC while delivering a spectacle for the fans. Both are dynamic strikers with electrifying styles, and everything about this matchup was nothing but a solid blockbuster.
After UFC 194, McGregor claimed the top spot in the featherweight rankings, while Jose Aldo slipped to number one contender. Frankie Edgar held the second spot at the time, with Chad Mendes—who had already fought and lost to McGregor at UFC 189—sitting at third. In fourth place was Max Holloway, who had just extended his winning streak to eight by defeating Jeremy Stephens at the December 12 event. The Hawaiian was clearly brewing as a legitimate contender for the 145-pound title alongside Edgar.
Holloway had previously faced McGregor at UFC Fight Night 26 back in 2013, where he lost by decision. That setback lit a fire in ‘Blessed,’ who was determined to avenge the defeat. Before his bout with Cub Swanson at UFC on Fox 15, Holloway told MMA Junkie: “If he wants to get it done and he wants to get that back, then give me a rematch and we’ll see what happens. If he wins his next fight and I win my fight, we’ll see what happens. Maybe we could do that rematch.”
As the former featherweight champ went on to defeat Ricardo Lamas and Anthony Pettis, the stage was set. If the Irishman had beaten Aldo in a rematch, a second showdown with Holloway would almost certainly have been on the table. It would have meant back-to-back blockbuster rematches for ‘The Notorious.’
And if he managed to beat Holloway again, the next step might not have been lightweight gold. Since moving up would defeat the very premise of this alternate path. Instead, the UFC could have looked to book him in a super-fight. Perhaps bantamweight king T.J. Dillashaw would have been a massive clash of champions.
McGregor vs Dillashaw might’ve crowned double champ glory
It seems Conor McGregor and double-championship fights share a never-ending connection. In reality, the Irishman made history by defeating Eddie Alvarez to become the UFC’s first-ever champ-champ. But in this timeline, the opportunity might have shifted to T.J. Dillashaw of getting the chance to lift two belts, possibly even simultaneously. Let me explain how.
Dillashaw became the bantamweight champion by defeating Renan Barão at UFC 173 back in 2014. After that, the American fighter went on to defend the belt twice—first against Joe Soto at UFC 177, and then in a rematch with Barão at a UFC on Fox event. It finally took Dominick Cruz to edge him out and reclaim the title at UFC Fight Night 81. So, if Dillashaw could actually beat arguably the greatest bantamweight champ ever, he would’ve definitely been interested in making a shift into the 145 lbs division.
At the time, McGregor and Dillashaw were already locked in a feud. Remember TUF Season 22? The Irishman was coaching opposite Urijah Faber, and in Episode 6, the former bantamweight champion appeared as a guest coach for Team USA. That’s when ‘The Notorious One’ infamously branded him a “snake in the grass,” sparking a heated confrontation between Team Europe and Team USA. That moment was the spark that ignited their beef, and it only grew from there.
Dillashaw, for his part, was more than willing to entertain the idea of fighting ‘The Notorious’. In a 2015 interview with the UFC, he said, “The reason why I want to fight him is for one: it’s a big name. It’s gonna pump me up even more. He’s a great fighter; he’s gonna put my name up even more. And just the fact that he beat Mendes… that doesn’t go well with me, so I would like to get that one for us.”
McGregor, of course, wasn’t shy about firing back. When asked about a potential clash with Dillashaw, he dismissed the idea outright, saying, “He’s too small. It’s that simple. Every shot would cripple him. It would break his whole, entire life, so I don’t really think he’s in the question.” With both men trading verbal jabs and their rivalry already boiling. The stage was set for a potential super-fight inside the octagon. And of course, Dana White wouldn’t have missed the chance to put together such a dream fight.
But in reality, the UFC’s biggest PPV name would have had everything to lose and nothing to gain from this one except another win over Team Alpha Male. Which brings up another question—would not being ‘champ champ’ have actually affected his chances of landing the biggest payday of his career?
Would the Floyd Mayweather fight exist if ‘The Notorious’ wasn’t the UFC double champ?
Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather was billed as a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle. The kind of crossover fans could only dream of—and somehow, it became reality. Credit goes to both ‘The Notorious’ and Dana White for pulling it off. Their combined efforts led to a boxing event that generated $55.4 million from ticket sales and 4.3 million domestic pay-per-view buys. This wasn’t just a fight! It was a global clash between two of the biggest personalities in combat sports. Still, the fact that both were champions in multiple divisions added an extra layer of intrigue.
At the time, Mayweather was set for his retirement fight with a 49-0 record! ‘Mystic Mac’ held two UFC titles in the 145 and 155 lbs divisions. It was truly the best of both worlds colliding. But here’s the big question—would that same spectacle have been possible if McGregor had never become a double champ? Having those belts made it feel like more was at stake than just money. Yet, the fight could’ve happened even without them.
Why? Because Conor McGregor has always had a one-of-a-kind gift for selling fights. After a couple of title defenses, it’s easy to imagine him calling out Mayweather anyway. And with the kind of money on the line that both men demand, the deal would’ve likely gotten done. Would it still have gone down as one of the greatest boxing events in history? Probably. Either way, millions of fans worldwide would’ve tuned in.
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