The UFC revealed some big news late last night when word came that Conor McGregor would meet lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez in the main event of November’s massive UFC 205, the first major UFC pay-per-view from New York’s Madison Square Garden. Following a week of misdirection and speculation featuring headlines detailing how McGregor would not fight
The UFC revealed some big news late last night when word came that Conor McGregor would meet lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez in the main event of November’s massive UFC 205, the first major UFC pay-per-view from New York’s Madison Square Garden.
Following a week of misdirection and speculation featuring headlines detailing how McGregor would not fight at UFC 205, that Dana White wanted him to fight Jose Aldo, and how Alvarez would be fighting Khabib Nurmagomedov rather than ‘The Notorious,’ it’s clear it was all a ruse to hide their true intentions of booking the biggest fight possible for perhaps the biggest-ever card, one where McGregor attempts to become the first simultaneous two-weight class champion in UFC history.
Since the announcement, the discussion has raged on that McGregor should have been made to vacate his featherweight championship, which he’s never defended since winning the belt from Aldo at December 2015’s UFC 194, and there’s also talk that the UFC played Nurmagomedov by offering bout agreements – which he reportedly signed – to face Alvarez at both UFC 205 and UFC 206.
Regardless, it’s clear the UFC is about making the biggest splash for their long-awaited NYC debut, and from a numbers standpoint, it’s hard to argue with the booking regardless of your opinion of if it’s fair or not. McGregor can also have the fallback title and the rematch with Aldo in his back pocket should he lose to Alvarez, so the UFC would get two huge McGregor title bout-headlined cards instead of one with this decision.
What do you think? Was McGregor vs. Alvarez the fight to make, or should they have chose another option?
Well, it happened. The news we were all expecting, then not expecting, was made official late last night. Headlining the UFC 205 New York card are Eddie Alvarez and Conor McGregor. Adding to the steam that announcement creates in some circles is the fact McGregor will retain his featherweight title. Agree or not, the bout
Well, it happened. The news we were all expecting, then not expecting, was made official late last night. Headlining the UFC 205 New York card are Eddie Alvarez and Conor McGregor. Adding to the steam that announcement creates in some circles is the fact McGregor will retain his featherweight title. Agree or not, the bout against Alvarez is huge in many ways. Fitting with the recent trend of money fights, having a champion vs. champion fight in the NYC debut for the promotion is a massive selling point.
Opposing that trail of thought is the ever-raging discussion on ‘legitimacy.’ Most definitely an intriguing topic, that argument is based on rankings holding primacy over what will line the pockets of certain individuals. In this particular case, the persons making big profit will be the UFC brass, Conor McGregor and Eddie Alvarez. It’s hard to argue against the latter, but many purist fans find it hard to swallow fight announcements like these because of their apparent cash-fuelled nature. Alas, at the least, we have a huge fight to look forward to. Oh, and ‘The Notorious’ will not be stripped of the featherweight belt.
Good For Profits, Bad For Khabib
Aside from the likely irate Jose Aldo, there’s one particular fighter who’s very annoyed at this whole McGregor vs. Alvarez deal. You guessed it, number one lightweight contender Khabib Nurmagomedov is furious right now. Taking to Twitter, the undefeated 155-pounder made his feelings clear:
I have two bout agreements that bullshit champ refuses to sign. I got used the whole time to make Conor and Eddie get on their knees and beg
On the plus side, Khabib Nurmagomedov will surely be in line for the next crack at the lightweight belt. Assuming he is willing to wait that long, ‘The Eagle’ must be due his championship fight. In all honesty, who the heck knows anymore? The current climate of money talking louder in the UFC has no end in sight. Rankings, common sense and fan opinion be damned, but is that all bad?
Taking to Instagram, Nurmagomedov continued to vent his frustration, calling the UFC a ‘freak show.’
Freak Show
When I signed agreement with @UFC it was sport. Now it became a freak show, or I don’t know how to call it right. Only thing that keeping me in this cracking sport, is that I don’t want to stop on the halfway, I wasn’t raised like this, not a quitter. I’ll keep moving forward InshaAllah.
You could make arguments for both sides, but right now only one thing is certain. Khabib is pissed, Alvarez vs. McGregor is happening and yet again the featherweight division gets the stanky leg. Discuss!
Updating a news report that arrived on tonight’s (Wed., September 21, 2016) ‘UFC Tonight’ that featherweight champion Conor McGregor was unlikely to fight at November 12’s blockbuster UFC 205 card from Madison Square Garden due to a lingering leg injury, but supposedly that may not be the case. According to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, sources close to McGregor
Updating a news report that arrived on tonight’s (Wed., September 21, 2016) ‘UFC Tonight’ that featherweight champion Conor McGregor was unlikely to fight at November 12’s blockbuster UFC 205 card from Madison Square Garden due to a lingering leg injury, but supposedly that may not be the case.
According to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, sources close to McGregor revealed that ‘The Notorious’ is suffering none of the initial ill effects of the leg injury he sustained against Nate Diaz in their five-round classic at UFC 202. He’s apparently fine and could compete on the historic card were he offered a fight:
According to sources close to McGregor, Conor is "fine" and the leg would not prevent him from fighting at UFC 205.
The news is no doubt strange, yet it’s not a far cry from the circus we saw unfold this spring when McGregor ‘retired’ from fighting after he was pulled from his scheduled rematch with Diaz in the main event of July 9’s UFC 200 after a dispute over McGregor skipping a press conference in favor of training to avenge his original loss to Diaz at UFC 196.
There was an oft-discussed rumor that McGregor would face lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez for the 155-pound title in the main event, but that also devolved into a circus of its own last night when White revealed top-ranked lightweight Khabib Nurmagomedov was actually the next title contender at UFC 205. That fight was reportedly scrapped and moved to December 10’s UFC 206 from Toronto after Alvarez allegedly failed to sign a bout agreement in time for a UFC-imposed deadline to fight at UFC 205.
With that now out in the open, it was thought McGregor may face longtime rival Jose Aldo for the featherweight belt at UFC 205, but apparently the Irish superstar was not even offered a bout at UFC 205. Many are whispering that the whole mess has arisen out of a disagreement over money.
We’ve seen the show before, and it’s obvious that both sides are stubborn and unwilling to back down. As we saw with UFC 200, however, the UFC playing hardball may not be best for business even if they are hell-bent on proving they run the show.
UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez has currently had just four fights since joining the promotion in September 2014. Crossing over from Bellator after lengthy contract negotiations, ‘The Silent Assassin’ actually lost his UFC debut. Facing Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone at UFC 178, Alvarez was shut out on the judges scorecards. Leading to his eventual title tilt
UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez has currently had just four fights since joining the promotion in September 2014. Crossing over from Bellator after lengthy contract negotiations, ‘The Silent Assassin’ actually lost his UFC debut. Facing Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone at UFC 178, Alvarez was shut out on the judges scorecards. Leading to his eventual title tilt at UFC Fight Night 90, Alvarez would go on to defeat Anthony Pettis and Gilbert Melendez in a duo of split decisions. Finally meeting Rafael dos Anjos on July 7, the 32-year old from Philadelphia looked like his old self again.
‘RDA’ had looked like an unstoppable force before meeting Alvarez in the UFC octagon. ‘The Silent Assassin’ proved to be too much for the Brazilian though, scoring a brutal first round stoppage by strikes. As Alvarez’s hand was raised and the title wrapped around his waist, another piece of a rapidly growing puzzle fell in to place. The former Bellator champ wanted money fights, following the trend that was growing among other UFC stars. Conor McGregor arguably brought ‘red panty night’ in to the limelight, and Alvarez was on board. Shortly after came the reports of a super fight between the lightweight and featherweight champions.
Alvarez vs. McGregor
Although nothing has been confirmed yet, the rumour mill would indicate UFC 205 as the venue for this clash. The 155-pound strap would be on the line at the promotion’s first event in New York, but questions remained about McGregor’s 145-pound belt. UFC president Dana White said ‘The Notorious’ would have to leave the featherweight championship if he wanted this fight.
Ahead of what would be a massively historic fight in many ways, the promotion has remained typically quiet. Alvarez took to Twitter last night to fire off a warning shot to McGregor, stating the Irishman’s future was not bright:
Let's do this @TheNotoriousMMA I'm ready !! Your futures not bright enjoy this one while it last . #ItsAllOver
The ‘what if’ factor in this fight is absolutely huge. On the one hand the Irish star could drop his belt (potentially at this stage) and end up losing to Alvarez. With McGregor’s undying fame it wouldn’t be the end of the world, but it remains a possible outcome. On the other hand, and probably much more influential, would be if ‘The Notorious’ beat ‘The Silent Assassin.’ The promotion would have their biggest draw ruling another division, leading to a plethora of possibilities in the aftermath.
Not So Fast
With all the talk of Alvarez vs. McGregor, people seem to have forgotten about longtime number one contender Khabib Nurmagomedov. As confirmed by a report on ESPN, and the following Tweet by Khabib himself, ‘The Eagle’ is in line for the UFC 205 main event, not Conor McGregor.
Me and Dana just waiting for Eddie to sign. I promise I will finish you fast and with no pain. https://t.co/4Zv9j8xejZ
Conor McGregor’s next fight is apparently close to being finalized, and not surprisingly, it’s one that could potentially bring him a second coveted UFC championship. A report surfaced from Big Brand Boys stating sources close to the UFC informed them that McGregor vs. lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez is close to being signed for the main
Conor McGregor’s next fight is apparently close to being finalized, and not surprisingly, it’s one that could potentially bring him a second coveted UFC championship.
A report surfaced from Big Brand Boys stating sources close to the UFC informed them that McGregor vs. lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez is close to being signed for the main event of November 12’s UFC 205, the promotion’s first-ever event from New York City’s Madison Square Garden after MMA was finally legalized in the Big Apple this summer.
Featherweight champion McGregor was immediately scheduled to face then-lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos in the main event of March’s UFC 196 after he won the featherweight title at UFC 194 in December 2015, but he infamously became embroiled in a high-profile rivalry with Nate Diaz when dos Anjos pulled out of the fight with a broken foot. The rest is history, as Diaz rebounded from a tough first round to batter and submit McGregor, paving the way for the Irish str’s two-day “retirement” before the rematch went down at August 20’s UFC 202.
McGregor won a closely contested majority decision in the fight, setting him up for a number of big-ticket fights, including a potential bout against returning former welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre. But the allure of seeing McGregor as a two-weight titleholder is something that’s simply too lucrative to pass up, and with ‘GSP’ unable to return until December’s UFC 206 from Toronto at the earliest due to USADA’s four-month testing window for retired fighters, this fight became increasingly obvious as the perfect headliner for the UFC’s Big Apple debut.
Hailing from nearby Philadelphia, Alvarez has New York ties with his respected boxing coach Mark Henry. McGregor’s homeland fans can fly to New York to watch him fight much easier than they can fly to Las Vegas, so this fight will be one with emotional ties involved in addition to the prestigious title on the line.
The UFC has yet to announce anything official on the bout, but one is reportedly coming soon. If so, McGregor vs. Alvarez would join Chris Weidman vs. Yoel Romero, Donald Cerrone vs. Kelvin Gastelum, Frankie Edgar vs. Jeremy Stephens, and Rashad Evans vs. Tim Kennedy on the historic, growing card.
UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor and lightweight king Eddie Alvarez are heading for a UFC 205 clash in November. In many ways this 155-pound championship clash will represent the new age of the UFC. Super fights are not unheard of in the UFC, but are extremely rare. In the UFC’s modern era there’s been only
UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor and lightweight king Eddie Alvarez are heading for a UFC 205 clash in November. In many ways this 155-pound championship clash will represent the new age of the UFC. Super fights are not unheard of in the UFC, but are extremely rare. In the UFC’s modern era there’s been only one; BJ Penn vs. Georges St-Pierre. Penn, the lightweight champ of the time, had already fought and lost against ‘GSP.’ The welterweight strap was on the line at UFC 94, and the Canadian champ defended it with a decision win.
There have been a few much-anticipated super fights booked over the years, but none have come to fruition. Jose Aldo was meant to fight Anthony Pettis while they were 145 and 155-pound champs respectively. That fight fell apart due to injury. The difference between these fights and the heavily reported McGregor vs. Alvarez clash is arguably the money aspect. You could argue that pay-per-view and crowd revenue has always been the motivation for any big fight, but never before has this factor been so apparent and flaunted.
Red Panty Night
The hilarious statement made by Conor McGregor about Rafael dos Anjos at the GO BIG presser is somewhat poignant now. Champions are starting to stray away from the rankings on a frequent basis-why? The cash involved in the big name fights. CM Punk’s UFC debut made the ex-WWE star $500K, while his opponent Mickey Gall made $30K. Those figures don’t even need expanding on, they simply support this argument further.
Tyron Woodley wants GSP, Dominick Cruz wants McGregor, and even Demetrious Johnson is talking about a superfight now. Where this whole saga could get extremely interesting is if McGregor defeats Alvarez. The question of the Irishman’s featherweight title remains unanswered. Although UFC president Dana White said ‘The Notorious’ would have to vacate to fight at UFC 205 at 155 pounds, nothing is certain until it’s done and dusted.
New York, New York
Another major part of the UFC coming in to their new era is the debut of the promotion in New York. For years the UFC battled narrow-minded and corrupt senators in the state, finally cutting the ribbon to the Big Apple earlier this year. It’s almost poetic that the first superfight in more than seven years would mark promotion’s first trip to NYC. What are the ramifications of a victory for McGregor though, or Alvarez for that matter?
It’s a win-win situation for the Irish star, perhaps even more so if he’s able to keep his featherweight title in the meantime. In terms of money it’ll be great for both men, but arguably ‘The Silent Assassin’ has a lot more on the line. Only the lightweight belt will be up for grabs, putting the ball firmly in Alvarez’s court.
Future
As the rankings slide further in to obscurity, the dollar sign reveals itself as king. Fuelling that green throne is Conor McGregor, who ushers in the new age of money fights. One huge and rather intriguing question-who takes over after ‘The Notorious’ is gone? Ronda Rousey is arguably up there in terms of PPV draws, but these kinds of stars are few and far between. Will the focus shift back from money and to rankings, or is this more than just a flavor of the month?
![303_Conor_McGregor.0.0[1]](http://cdn.lowkickmma.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/303_Conor_McGregor.0.01.jpg)
