When Jose Aldo won the UFC interim featherweight championship at UFC 200, many fans viewed him as a paper champion. Conor McGregor’s 13-second knockout over Aldo remained fresh in the minds of many, and the fact that McGregor had never lost the 145-pound title loomed large over the division. But for many, Max Holloway unifying the featherweight titles last weekend at UFC 212 by stopping Aldo in the third round has cast out McGregor’s shadow and ushered in a new era of the 145-pound division.
Among those who viewed Aldo’s second title reign as illegitimate is UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping.