BOSTON—Conor McGregor gave Dennis Siver the finger to start their fight. He gave him his fist to end it.
The Irishman starts the first round by keeping his shorter opponent at bay with kicks. The favorite lands a spinning back kick followed by head kick. Siver countering with jabbing low kicks. Notorious lands a right flush that cuts Siver’s left eye. A kick followed by a punch sends the German reeling. McGregor toys and taunts. Siver tries a takedown that doesn’t quite work. Siver then briefly scores a takedown but ends the 10-8 round a bloody mess.
McGregor scores a kick followed by a taunt to start the second. King Conor unleashes a spinning back kick, and clocks Siver with punches and kicks. The German goes down on a straight right hand. McGregor gains full mount and rains down punches on a beaten man.
Herb Dean mercifully calls a halt at 1:54 of the second round. TD Garden’s heavily Irish crowd erupts.
“I said two minutes,” McGregor notes after the dominating performance. “I meant two rounds.”
The victory sets up the biggest fight in the UFC’s featherweight history between the Dubliner and Brazilian Jose Aldo.
The charismatic fighter calls on the featherweight champion to spit shine the UFC belt in preparation for him claiming it later this year. A defiant McGregor insults as Aldo looks on cage side: “F— him.”