He needed just 13 seconds to win it. Conor McGregor had waited more than 12 years for the UFC title.
The Irish featherweight landed his left hand - the shot he calls the most feared in combat sports - to leave long-reigning champion Jose Aldo out cold.
He pounced to finish the job but referee John McCarthy got there first and dived in to spare Aldo from further punishment.
Jose Aldo's face contorts as Conor McGregor's savage left hander knocked the Brazilian out cold in front of a stunned MGM Grand
Aldo loses his footing and begins to fall to the canvas as his grasp on the featherweight title loosens
McGregor took just 13 seconds to inflict Aldo's first defeat in ten years to claim the featherweight title
McGregor punches a floored Aldo as the Brazilian legend lies motionless on the canvas after being hit by a stunning blow
Referee John McCarthy rushes to Aldo's aid as McGregor prepares to unleash further damage, but the fight was swiftly called off
McGregor leaps out of the cage and toward an expectant and partisan crowd after his lightning-quick victory
McGregor takes the plaudits following his victory as the MGM Grand Arena erupts to applaud the new featherweight champion
McGregor milks the applause as he wears the coveted featherweight belt in front of his army of travelling fans
Conor McGregor has set his sights on the UFC lightweight belt after winning the featherweight title against Aldo at UFC 194
But the Irishman said he will not give up his new belt if he picks up the lightweight belt, despite the UFC saying that would be the case
Immediately the MGM Grand in Las Vegas erupted as thousands of travelling fans saluted their hero.
It was the fastest finish in a UFC title fight but simply echoed McGregor's pre-fight prediction of a first-round finish.
'No power, just precision,' he said. 'No speed, just timing. That's all it takes, especially when you have my left hand. Nothing can take that left hand.
'What I say happens, happens. I felt like last fight week was gone before I could embrace it, but this time I took it in. The Irish are making the fight game what it is today.
'I think Aldo should reassess himself while I look to maybe go for the 155-pound belt or maybe I look at Frankie [Edgar], so there are options.
'I showed up tonight and put a stamp on the real belt, there is no doubt now.'
If McGregor does move up to lightweight UFC president Dana White had suggested he would have to give up his featherweight title, but The Notorious, who is usually accurate in his predictions, said that would not happen.
'I'll tell you one thing that won't be happening. If i move to the lightweight division, there's no way in hell I'm vacating that belt; that's not happening.
'I will have one belt on one shoulder and one on the other.
Once he had recovered, Aldo said: 'I think we need a rematch and that will be my fight.
'The trash talking didn’t affect me, I don’t care what he says. Thanks to everyone watching in Brazil and thank you for the support. I will be back.'
The closing of the cage door brought an end to a year of bickering build-up that had made this one of the most eagerly-awaited fights in mixed martial arts history.
The closest the pair had come to staring each other down inside the Octagon was in simulated form in an advert for the official console game.
McGregor, who had vowed as a teenager he would one day wrap the gold belt around his waist, will now join Ronda Rousey on the cover of the second instalment next year.
McGregor held court on his own at the UFC 194 post-fight press conference and laid out his plans to break even more records
Aldo can only reflect on what might have been after one of the UFC's greatest champions ponders defeat
There was no such malaise for McGregor who shares a joke with a member of his entourage following his victory
The proud Dubliner shows off the Irish tricolour after a quite astonishing win against Aldo, who had not lost for a decade
McGregor celebrates a magnificent achievement with his family as the Irishman shook up the world in Las Vegas
The Octagon was a scene of chaos and jubilation after McGregor's win against the Brazilian great
McGregor beams after the fight of his life and a new chapter begins for the UFC's latest worldwide star
The atmosphere was at fever pitch ahead of one of the most eagerly-anticipated fights in UFC's history
Initially scheduled for this past summer in the same Sin City arena, Aldo had endured an exhaustive world tour which encompassed eight cities across five countries.
McGregor had taunted and teased at every opportunity, going as far as pinching the champion's belt in front of a raucous home crowd in Dublin.
But two weeks out from their July date, Aldo suffered a fractured rib and withdrew.
Instead McGregor faced Chad Mendes, a two-time title challenger who had pushed Aldo all the way in their Fight of the Year rematch.
With the interim belt on the line, McGregor survived a difficult opening round before unleashing his devastating left hand to floor and finish the American.
But if that had been a step up for the 27-year-old, Aldo was expected to be a serious examination of his credentials.
Unbeaten in over a decade and the only featherweight champion the UFC has had, his record reads like a who's who of the 145lb division.
As well as his two triumphs over Mendes, the Brazilian had seen off Frankie Edgar, Urijah Faber, Ricardo Lamas and Kenny Florian.
But he had been taken the five-round distance in three of his previous four fights while Mendes became the first to drop the 29-year-old last year.
Frankie Edgar may well be McGregor's next opponent, but for now the Irishman will enjoy the celebrations
McGregor prowls around the Octagon after sending his band of fans home happy, at home and abroad
The travelling fans came to Sin City in large numbers and cheered their champion on to a world title
Frankie Edgar could be next for McGregor after the former lightweight champion knocked out Chad Mendes on Friday night
Shortly after Friday's weigh-in, when Aldo mimicked McGregor's karate-stance pose and reached up to his opponent's throat, the odds on the champion shortened.
He had soon reversed placings with McGregor and started as a firm favourite.
But that hadn't put off the patriotic Irish as the queue outside the sports book snaked across the casino floor hours before the first bell.
Having looked gaunt on the scales, McGregor reportedly weighed 174lb on the day of the fight, an increase of more than two stone in a little over 24 hours.
And after walking out to Sinead O'Connor's version of 'Foggy Dew' - which was barely heard such was the deafening crescendo emanating from his travelling fans - he was certainly the bigger man in the Octagon.
Once the action started, McGregor threw a left hand to find his range and a right kick to deflect Aldo's attention.
Then he delivered the punch that shocked the world.
Source: Uk Dailymail
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