Kenny Florian: New UFC Champ Conor McGregor Is Like Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan

UFC analyst Kenny Florian believes the world witnessed something truly special when Conor McGregor knocked out Jose Aldo to become undisputed featherweight champion at UFC 194.

On Monday’s episode of “The Anik and Florian Podcast,” Florian praised “The Notorious” as the kind of talent who comes along only once in a generation. The former UFC title contender even went so far as to compare McGregor to the men widely acknowledged as the greatest boxer and basketball player of all time.

“When you see someone like a Conor McGregor, you realize that he’s just different. He’s different from everyone. He’s special,” said Florian. “He is that Michael Jordan character that comes in and scores 63 points against the Celtics, and acts like it’s normal, and said he was gonna do it.

“He is the Michael Jordan. He is the Ali of our generation,” Florian continued. “Instead of going out there and being pissed off that Conor McGregor, this cocky guy, went out there and won, and did what he was going to do, we should be celebrating this fact. Everybody should be celebrating this, because it’s rare that, in your lifetime, you get to see someone like this compete.”

Of course, Ronda Rousey was anointed as a similarly unique fighter before being humiliated by Holly Holm last month. Florian claims there is no comparison: McGregor is the real deal, a talent so unique that he is capable of doing things no other fighter can do.

“This is the guy that is that once-in-a-generation kind of fighter. Unfortunately, it wasn’t Ronda. It is Conor McGregor,” Florian said. “There’s just no one that can do what he can do, technically. Forget what he can do to for the sport, and how he talks about himself, and how he promotes fights... On a technical level, in the cage, you can’t strike like Conor McGregor. There’s no one else like him.”