Conor McGregor’s next fight will come against Eddie Alvarez on Nov. 12 at Madison Square Garden in New York as part of UFC 205.
UFC president Dana White confirmed the match will occur on Tuesday during SportsCenter, per UFC Vice President of Public Relations, Dave Sholler, who noted McGregor will keep his 145-pound belt through UFC 205.
UFC later issued an official release:
This comes after Alvarez called McGregor out on Twitter on Sept. 20:
McGregor didn’t address Alvarez directly, but he seemed to respond to the challenge on his own Twitter page:
Alvarez is the current lightweight champion because he knocked out Rafael dos Anjos at UFC Fight Night 90 in Las Vegas. McGregor is the featherweight champion, and Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com noted McGregor will have the chance to become the first-ever fighter to hold two belts at the same time if he earns a win on Nov. 12.
According to Damon Martin of FoxSports.com, Alvarez targeted the winner of McGregor’s showdown against Nate Diaz at UFC 202. McGregor won by majority decision and will now look to parlay that momentum into another victory at UFC 205.
Martin also noted “it appeared negotiations stalled recently” in an effort to set up the bout between McGregor and Alvarez because Khabib Nurmagomedov was given a lightweight title shot. Nurmagomedov was offered agreements for UFC 205 and 206, but “those contracts are null and void as the promotion shifts directions once again,” Martin wrote.
Dave Doyle of MMAFighting.com pointed out the showdown will be one of three championship fights at UFC 205. Tyron Woodley will square off with Stephen Thompson for the welterweight title, while Joanna Jedrzejczyk will face Karolina Kowalkiewicz for the strawweight title.
UFC 205 is the first card to occur in New York City.
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