Rihanna set the stage on fire during the half-time show of Super Bowl 2023 inside State Farm Arena where the Philadelphia Eagles fell short against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Hollywood celebrity, who recently made history with the most Grammy awards to her name was once scheduled to perform at a UFC event.
More than a decade ago when the UFC was undergoing a revolution to say nonetheless under Conor McGregor, UFC President Dana White came up with an idea that would have certainly made a huge buzz in the world of mixed martial arts. However, the plan couldn’t come to fruition.
Rihanna almost performed for UFC for Conor McGregor vs Jose Aldo title fight
Back in 2015, Conor McGregor was scheduled to take on Jose Aldo at UFC 189 for the UFC’s featherweight championship. At the time, Dana White had made huge plans for the event.
There were reports that the UFC President was planning on having Rihanna perform at UFC 189 for Jose Aldo’s walkout. Alas, the plan was shelved after Jose Aldo suffered a gruesome injury during training ahead of the title fight. The Brazilian fighter reportedly suffered a fractured rib during training and had to pull out of the fight.
The show went on even without Jose Aldo as Conor McGregor accepted a short-notice fight against Chad Mendes for the interim gold. While Rihanna could not make her presence felt in the UFC, Conor McGregor was welcomed to the Octagon as Sinead O’Connor and Aaron Lewis performed for McGregor and Mendes respectively for their walk to the Octagon.
Conor McGregor and Jose Aldo did square off against each other eventually, but more than four months later in December 2015 at UFC 194. The Notorious created history as he knocked out Jose Aldo in 13 seconds to become the new featherweight champion of the world. In the process, he created a record for the fastest victory in a title fight, a record that he continues to hold even to this day.
