Anything can happen in a mixed martial arts fight and especially in a title fight, as we’ve seen multiple UFC titles change hands over the last year. With less than two months remaining in the calendar year, the UFC is set to put on a slew of not only exciting, but competitive title fights, as
Anything can happen in a mixed martial arts fight and especially in a title fight, as we’ve seen multiple UFC titles change hands over the last year. With less than two months remaining in the calendar year, the UFC is set to put on a slew of not only exciting, but competitive title fights, as well as some massive events.
Let’s take a look at six UFC titles that could potentially change hands before the year’s end:
Women’s Bantamweight
Newly crowned UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes is gearing up to defend her title for the very first time when she takes on former longtime champion Ronda Rousey, a female many consider to be the best 135-pound female fighter of all-time, in the main event of Dec. 30’s UFC 207.
By the time she enters the cage, The “Rowdy” one will have spent 13 months on the sidelines, as she hasn’t competed since being brutally knocked out by Holly Holm last November. Rousey was picked apart by Holm’s superior striking and she didn’t deal with the loss well, ultimately staying out of the limelight for the majority year. With that being said, it’s difficult to tell what form of Rousey will show up and what improvements she may have made.
Nunes is no slouch and she has proven to be a vicious well-rounded fighter, but if Rousey shows up in vintage form, we could see the 135-pound title change hands.
Undefeated top lightweight contender Khabib “The Eagle” Nurmagomedov said that he received two contracts to fight reigning 155-pound king Eddie Alvarez – one for Nov. 12’s UFC 205 and one for Dec. 10’s UFC 206, but it now appears as if those contracts simply represented a negotiation tactic by the UFC, as Alvarez will instead
Undefeated top lightweight contender Khabib “The Eagle” Nurmagomedov said that he received two contracts to fight reigning 155-pound king Eddie Alvarez – one for Nov. 12’s UFC 205 and one for Dec. 10’s UFC 206, but it now appears as if those contracts simply represented a negotiation tactic by the UFC, as Alvarez will instead defend his strap against featherweight king Conor McGregor at UFC 205.
Nurmagomedov will fight Michael Johnson on the same card.
“The Eagle’s” head coach, Javier Mendez, head trainer at San Jose’s American Kickboxing Academy, said that he was ‘disappointed’ in the way that the promotion treated his fighter:
“I was disappointed,” Mendez told MMAJunkie. “Not disappointed that (Conor) got the title shot, just disappointed that Khabib was used as a pawn, in my opinion. Why give a guy a contract to fight and actually not give him the fight?”
Nurmagomedov has made his feelings about UFC 205’s main event clear, and he’s had some harsh words for both Alvarez and McGregor, but Mendez said that it was simply out of frustration:
“He’s not gunning for any particular person,” the coach said. “But once he has his sights set on that one individual, he focuses on that individual. If there’s has any trash talking, it’s toward that one individual. But he really doesn’t have an issue with any fighter at all, period.”
A win over the No. 6-ranked Johnson would improve Nurmagomedov’s overall record to a perfect 24-0 while improving his UFC record to 8-0, making him the clear cut No. 1-contender.
It’s no secret that Conor McGregor’s deadliest weapon is his powerful left hand, and he’ll likely try to use it at Nov. 12’s UFC 205 when he attempts to become the first man in UFC history to hold two titles at one time against 155-pound champion Eddie Alvarez in the evening’s headliner. Alvarez, however, feels
It’s no secret that Conor McGregor’s deadliest weapon is his powerful left hand, and he’ll likely try to use it at Nov. 12’s UFC 205 when he attempts to become the first man in UFC history to hold two titles at one time against 155-pound champion Eddie Alvarez in the evening’s headliner.
Alvarez, however, feels as if the Irishman is only ‘a left hand’ and that there’s not much else to him. In fact, the ex-Bellator champion feels as if he’s going to ‘dominate’ McGregor:
“To me, he’s just a left hand,” Alvarez said on the MMA Roasted podcast. “He’s just a guy with a left hand. That’s how I see him. He does something that we call a ‘rock back’ well. Mayweather does it. A lot of Philly fighters do it. [McGregor] lives and breathes off it. A lot of MMA guys don’t know about these boxing things that they do. This is a move that’s very easily taken away and we’re going to dominate every step of the way.”
While he wouldn’t reveal specifics, “The Silent Assassin” said that he and his team have come up with a game plan that will lead him to victory at the famed Madison Square Garden:
“Without giving away a gameplan or anything, everything’s taken away with the proper preparation. I’m confident in my coaches, I’m confident in our gameplan and our ability to go out there and do it. We’re just following this gameplan step-by-step.”
Who do you see walking away with lightweight gold in a few weeks?
This is big money, really big money… UFC 205 is set to pop off on November 12 from the Madison Square Garden in New York City. Following a near-20 year battle to get MMA legalized in NYC, the promotion will sink its teeth in to the Big Apple with a stellar card. Leading the UFC
UFC 205 is set to pop off on November 12 from the Madison Square Garden in New York City. Following a near-20 year battle to get MMA legalized in NYC, the promotion will sink its teeth in to the Big Apple with a stellar card. Leading the UFC in to New York will be a lightweight title tilt between champion Eddie Alvarez and 145-pound boss Conor McGregor. ‘The Notorious’ got an immediate shot at lightweight gold, stirring up outrage among the top contenders of the division. Potentially retiring or taking an extended period off after UFC 205, McGregor once again has the MMA world captivated.
Aside from the record-breaking first show in NYC, and the fact McGregor could become the first champion with two belts at once, there are tons of great fights throughout the UFC 205 card. Putting the strawweight title on the line is striking queen Joanna Jedrzejczyk, as she battles fellow Polish national Karolina Kowalkiewicz. Tyron Woodley will defend his welterweight strap against arguably the best striker in the division, Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson.
Welcome To New York City
The event also features Chris Weidman vs. Yoel Romero, Frankie Edgar vs. Jeremy Stephens, Nurmagomedov vs. Michael Johnson, Gastelum vs. Cerrone and plenty more. Aiming to break the current gate record set by Evander Holyfield vs. Lennox Lewis in 1999 is no easy task, but UFC president Dana White says the card on November 12 has already surpassed that $13.5 million milestone.
Speaking during Friday night’s FOX Sports pregame show for game three of the world series, White confirmed UFC 205 has already broken the MSG gate record. Previous t this event, the all-time UFC gate record was set at UFC 129 in Toronto, with some 56K in attendance for a $13.5 million USD gate.
We are now just weeks away from the historic UFC 205, as the blockbuster event, which is being billed as the best in promotion history, is set to go down on Nov. 12 from the famed Madison Square Garden in New York. The event will mark the promotion’s first trip to the state since the
We are now just weeks away from the historic UFC 205, as the blockbuster event, which is being billed as the best in promotion history, is set to go down on Nov. 12 from the famed Madison Square Garden in New York. The event will mark the promotion’s first trip to the state since the sport was legalized there last year.
Headlining the show will be a lightweight title clash between reigning champion Eddie Alvarez and 145-pound champion Conor McGregor. McGregor will look to make history, as he hopes to become the first fighter in company history to hold two titles at one time.
The card features two more title fights, as welterweight champion Tyron Woodley meets Stephen Thompson, and women’s strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk meets Karolina Kowalkiewicz.
Take a deeper look into the training camps of these six fighters in the UFC 205 Extended Preview below:
Conor McGregor’s outlandish actions may finally be catching up to him. The reigning UFC featherweight champion is set to challenge lightweight titleholder Eddie Alvarez in the main event of Nov. 12’s UFC 205 from the famed Madison Square Garden in New York, but he has yet to be licensed to fight in the state despite
Conor McGregor’s outlandish actions may finally be catching up to him.
The reigning UFC featherweight champion is set to challenge lightweight titleholder Eddie Alvarez in the main event of Nov. 12’s UFC 205 from the famed Madison Square Garden in New York, but he has yet to be licensed to fight in the state despite the card being just weeks away.
McGregor recently received a $75,000 fine from the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) due to his roll in the bottle throwing incident with Nate Diaz at the UFC 202 pre-fight press conference. McGregor then taunted the commission, implying that he wasn’t going to pay the fine, something the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) is ‘closely monitoring’, per MMAFighting:
“The New York State Athletic Commission is aware of the Order issued by the Nevada Athletic Commission. Conor McGregor has not yet completed his application to the New York State Athletic Commission for a license, nor, to our knowledge, has he agreed to the fine levied by Nevada or exercised an appeal. It is also our understanding that the time within which Mr. McGregor may seek a legal challenge to the Nevada Order has not yet expired. An administrative fine without a concurrent suspension is not a mandatory bar to licensure. The New York State Athletic Commission expects its licensees to resolve disciplinary actions and comply with lawful final orders issued by the states in which they have chosen to compete, and will be closely monitoring this matter.”
After receiving the fine, the “Notorious” one told UFC President Dana White that he no longer had any interest in competing in the state of Nevada, and that New York and Ireland were fine for him, but his actions in Las Vegas may affect these plans.
Do you expect the 145-pound kingpin to sort out his issues with the New York commission before he attempts to make history next month?
