Not long now.
Not long until the greatest MMA fight card of all time comes to fruition. That’s right, ladies and gents. It’s UFC 205, going down from a little venue known as Madison Square Garden, in a little city that was so nice, so very nice, that you know what they did? They went ahead and named it twice.
It’s a history-steeped thing no matter how you view it. OK, so maybe the New York City stuff gets a little over the top. Maybe no one cares all that much that New York was the 50th and final state (woo!) to legalize pro MMA.
So forget about that stuff, then.
Just remember that Conor McGregor‘s going for a new high, vying to take Eddie Alvarez’s lightweight belt, add it to his featherweight strap and become the first person to hold two UFC belts at the same time.
Or maybe you’re interested in one of the two other title fights happening that night. Or one of the other many rip-snorters on the docket. Storylines abound. Here are the top storylines heading into Saturday’s blockbuster.
So…Can McGregor Do This?
McGregor‘s game involves pressuring his opponent back against the chain link, cutting off all escape routes with angles and kicks, then firing off that anti-tank missile at the end of his left arm.
But hold the phone. Because no one puts Eddie in a corner.
Alvarez, whose calling card has always been boxing, possesses the quickness, footwork and cardiovascular stamina to stay clear of compromising situations. He also has the toughness and fistic power to make opponents pay.
Ask Rafael Dos Anjos, a notorious pressure fighter, how well pressure works against Alvarez. I think I know what answer you’d get, based on the fact that Alvarez knocked him out in the first round to capture the belt back in July.
For all its promise, though, stand-up is not Alvarez’s only skill. The champ also has the ability to take McGregor to the mat and punish him there, or at least put a pin in that lethal striking.
That toolbox—quickness, movement, deceptive power, solid wrestling—might remind you of someone. Frankie Edgar possesses a very similar combination of tools.
Interestingly, McGregor has been accused of ducking Edgar, most recently by Alvarez himself. During a media conference call last week, Alvarez said of the Irishman, per Scrap Digest:
He’s fought a bunch of chumps, if I had the resume he had, if they gave me the resume he has, if I was that lucky, the same s–t would happen … Styles make match-ups. When you pick the styles you want to fight, then s–t you can knock everyone out.
…
You ran from Frankie Edgar for two years. You’ve been cherry picking opponents. You’ve been fighting these tiny guys, guys you knew you could beat.
Alvarez brings up another interesting point: This is McGregor‘s first UFC bout at lightweight. Yes, he has the two fights with Nate Diaz at welterweight, but Alvarez is still bigger than most of the opponents he’s faced in the Octagon.
So is a history-making turn from McGregor still possible? Yes, it is. McGregor is a heck of a good fighter and he’ll be ready to ply his game. Plus, he seems tailor-made for the big moments. Can you imagine McGregor bringing anything but his A-plus game to Madison Square Garden for this momentous event? I sure can’t.
It won’t be easy, but that’s kind of the point.
Which Title Fight Takes Fight of the Night Title?
As great as Alvarez-McGregor is, it only scratches the surface.
For only the second time in UFC history, three belts are at stake in one evening. The only other time this happened was at UFC 33 in 2001.
The second leg of the golden stool pits welterweight champ Tyron Woodley against Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson, the kickboxing prodigy with the seven-fight win streak and a penchant for spinning hook kicks.
Woodley is a power puncher until he gets tired, and then he’s a grinder, but if they should exchange—particularly early—look out.
Then, in what one could call the co-co-main event, you have the great Joanna Jedrzejczyk defending her women’s strawweight crown against Karolina Kowalkiewicz.
Jedrzejczyk is a stone-cold reaper of souls, brandishing her stiff jab, brilliant combinations and vicious clinch game to chew up opponents over the course of multiple rounds.
Kowalkiewicz, however, is a terrific foil, given her physical strength and ground game. She’s not overwhelming in any phase but has a blue-collar work ethic, a high level of output and the willingness to do what it takes to score points.
The main event is a safe bet, but it’s hard to go wrong here. Jedrzejczyk would be fun to watch fighting an old VCR. Woodley-Wonderboy could have real fireworks. It’s an embarrassment of riches, but the richest plumb is probably the culminating bout.
Weidman Represents the Empire State
The backdrop, the “why” of UFC 205, if you will, is of course the UFC’s debut in New York and Madison Square Garden. In reaction, as we know, the UFC threw every major asset that wasn’t nailed down or suspended at the event in the understandable and well-founded hope of touching off a combat supernova.
There was one just one little drawback to this: Fighters hailing from or around the Empire State were left on the outside looking in. In fact, the Long Island-based trio of Aljamain Sterling, Gian Villante and Al Iaquinta have been dubbed “The NY Outsiders” on social media and elsewhere.
But take heart, New York MMA people. Chris Weidman has your back.
The native of Baldwin, New York, has a literal huge task in front of him at MSG in the form of Cuban wrestling giant Yoel Romero.
This will be a cracking good fight at middleweight, with Romero’s titanic power against Weidman‘s fearlessness and aggression. It could be a slugfest at times, it could become a wrestling chess match, it could become a battle of riding times.
Either way, with apologies to Ronaldo Souza, the winner is probably in line for a shot at champ Michael Bisping.
Who knows? Even though New York was frozen out of its own event, in a way, one of its own may soon find himself back on the “top of the heap,” if you get what I’m saying. OK, I’ll let myself out.
Scott Harris writes about MMA for Bleacher Report. For more stuff like this, follow Scott on Twitter.
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