MANILA, Philippines - The fight everybody is waiting for is finally happening.
Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor both made the weight limit yesterday, setting the stage for their much-anticipated showdown at UFC 194 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada today.
After feuding for almost a year, Aldo, the king of the featherweight division and one of the best pound-forpound fighters in mixed martial arts today, and McGregor, the interim champion in the same weight class, get the chance to prove who is the best as the two finally mix it up.
The two were supposed to face off at UFC 189 last July but Aldo pulled out after sustaining a rib injury in training, leaving McGregor to tackle and eventually beat Chad Mendes to snare the interim crown last July.
UFC 194 is also packed with elite bouts, including Chris Weidman, unbeatable in 13 fights, staking his middleweight belt for the fourth time against Luke Rockhold, a former Strikeforce champion.
Jacare Souza and Yoel Romero collide in a middleweight bout, welterweight Damian Maia battles Gunnar Nelson and Max Holloway tackles Jeremy Stephens, hoping for a title crack in the featherweight class.
None though is as big as the Aldo-McGregor fight.
Aldo, 29, has gone undefeated for 18 straight bouts spanning nearly a decade, disposing of every big name fighter in the division like Mendes, Urijah Faber, Kenny Florian and even ex-lightweight titlist Frankie Edgar for an impressive 25-1 (win-loss) record.
McGregor could be his toughest test, though.
McGregor, 27, sports an 18-2 record including 14 straight matches that he swept in four years.
The moment of truth beckons for Aldo and McGregor.