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Five Possible Outcomes From Conor McGregor vs. Eddie Alvarez

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2016 has been a crazy year for fans of MMA. As always the UFC had the top shelf offering of all the major promotions, and they did so with a stream of high quality cards. At the zenith of the UFC’s pay-per-view draws this year were Conor McGregor and his rival Nate Diaz. UFC 196 and UFC 202 ranked in the top three biggest cards in the promotion’s history. McGregor vs. Diaz 2 smashed the bar set by UFC 100 with a cool 1.6 million buys. Was it any surprise the UFC put McGregor in against Eddie Alvarez at UFC 200?

Following his string of successful cards, albeit one with a loss, the charismatic Irishman was injected in to the UFC’s New York debut without hesitance. One topic that’s been hotly debated ahead of UFC 205 is the potential effect on the direction of MMA moving forward. The apparent disrespect from the UFC towards Jose Aldo has led to the interim champion retiring, and the decision to put McGregor ahead of the killers row at 155 has alienated many top contenders.

McGregor vs. Alvarez

Looking like it could well be the biggest card of all-time, UFC 205 is pivotal for so many reasons. The fact McGregor will not be stripped of the 145-pound title to compete against Alvarez is another key factor in this debate. The Irish star will look to become the first ever champion to hold two UFC belts in different weight classes at the same time. After the big announcement of the UFC 205 card came the teaser of McGregor’s own ‘left field’ announcement.

UFC president Dana White said Conor had some ‘personal issues,’ and would make a big announcement out of ‘left field’ following UFC 205. This has led to massive speculation, one opinion being that McGregor’s girlfriend has fell pregnant. Another guess is that ‘The Notorious’ will retire, or maybe take a year off. With so much riding on this one historic bout in Madison Square Garden on November 12, check out Five Possible Outcomes From Conor McGregor vs. Eddie Alvarez…

McGregor Defeats Alvarez, Retires

This future involves Conor McGregor winning the lightweight title,then calling it quits as a two-weight UFC champion. Complications aplenty would arise from ‘The Notorious’ riding off in to the sunset with two belts on his back. Obviously the issue of who fights for two vacated belts would be complicated enough, but in this outcome there’s the ‘McGregor shadow’ to consider.

‘The Notorious,’ although retired, would forever shadow the current crop of contenders in both divisions. This isn’t to say that both weight classes wouldn’t move on in time, but look at the scenario with Daniel Cormier right now. ‘DC’ may have lost in his bid against Jon Jones, but by no fault of his own was fighting for the vacant strap against Anthony Johnson at UFC 187. ‘Bones’ was stripped of the belt and has been pulled once again from the running due to a failed drug test. All this, and Cormier still receives criticism as champion. Imagine the impact on 155 and 145 if this were to be the outcome at UFC 205.

Continue on page 2…

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What Happens If Conor McGregor Beats Eddie Alvarez?

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UFC 205 finally took shape last week, as the stars of the promotion align in New York. November 12 will see a historic event in Madison Square Gardens, the iconic venue which has played host to so many great shows over the years. This is set to be a huge event for the UFC, as they front the new era of MMA in NYC. After years of battling against the state, the UFC and mixed martial arts as a whole scored a crucial victory this year. It’s no surprise that a lightweight title fight featuring the champion against the UFC’ biggest current star is the main event in the Big Apple.

There’s a whole lot more at stake than what meets the eye at UFC 205, though. Obviously making a good impression in New York is key, but the future of the sport potentially hangs in the balance of the main event. Money or rankings? That’s a very potent question that’s arisen frequently in recent months. When entertainment is held over perceived ‘legitimacy’ in the rankings, is MMA a sport? Let’s be honest, we know it’s not the Olympics, but many fans have been discussing how the sport is now becoming more like pro wrestling.

Money Makes The World Go Round

The UFC being a privately owned business means one thing will take primacy over every aspect–the bottom line. It’s just a fact, that’s not a slur on the promotion, but its basic business. The pairing of UFC featherweight champion against Eddie Alvarez for the 155-pound belt speaks volumes about the UFC’s future intent. Straying away from the rankings for a few fights here and there might not seem like a needle moving decision, but truly, it absolutely is.

McGregor’s last two fights, one win and one loss against Nate Diaz, sparked massive debate about his keeping of the 145-pound strap. Finally, when the dust had temporarily settled on the beef with Diaz, it was widely assumed that McGregor would face interim champion Jose Aldo for a rematch at UFC 205. You know what they say about assumptions. Instead the money fight was selected, whether you agree with the base motive or not, it’s still a great fight. That said, and as previously mentioned, it holds massive ramifications.

What happens if Conor McGregor beats Eddie Alvarez? Here’s a few speculations…

Rankings in The Bin

Hold your horses, we aren’t predicting an immediate abolishing of the official UFC rankings. That said, most pivotal moments in history are made up of multiple and much smaller catalysts. Although it may seem insignificant in the grand scheme of things, McGregor’s attempt to become the first ever two-belt (at the same time) champion holds a lot of weight.

Once it’s set in stone that the rankings mean nothing, and let’s be frank–they are reasonably pointless already, the original intent of making MMA compete with NBA, NFL etc. is gone. When you consider that guys like CM Punk can literally walk in to a UFC fight present day, imagine what it would be like if only big talkers and celebrities were to fight in the UFC. OK, so it’s a little dystopian, but you get the point.

McGregor Makes The World Go Round

Further in to the rabbit hole we go, and don’t take the heading as literal. Picture this-the biggest MMA promotion that is essentially run by the fighters. This is great in some respects, and terrible in others. The athletes themselves calling the shots ala-Conor McGregor could lead to those big paydays that a lot of guys deserve. At the bottom end of that possibility is the talented fighters who aren’t also outspoken or theatrical.

Say goodbye to your Jose Aldo’s and Frankie Edgar’s, the future of the UFC could literally look like the cast of a reality show with Reebok fight kits on.

Free For All

There’s been a whole lot of debate about MMA against other sports lately, in particular boxing. Seeing as money is the main motivation, and intrigue means eyeballs means $$$, cross promotion could well be a possibility. Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor? Sure, why not, let’s remodel this whole game so that it literally revolves around one gigantic ball of dollar bills. Then again, what if we were already deep in to the era of money fights, and we didn’t know it yet?

The more things change, the more they stay the same

Essentially unravelling most of the arguments in this article, that one simple statement does make sense. Hey, we know money is the foundation of all things business, but in sport can’t we have the best of both worlds? Well, yes and no. When exceptions are made for guys like McGregor, can the UFC justify not making them for everyone else? It’s an extremely tough argument to make for either side, and one that might never be resolved. For now, let’s enjoy the huge UFC 205 main event that’s coming up, and hope the fallout doesn’t lead to more (interim) champions and top contenders quitting the sport.

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Jose Aldo Says Dana White Refused GSP’s Mac Money Request

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Jose Aldo’s recent tribulations have thrown up a lot of questions. Not only is Aldo’s future unclear, that of the promotion and arguably the sport is in the balance. After learning Conor McGregor would fight for the third time above the 145-pound division, ‘Scarface’ decided to call it quits. Requesting a release from his UFC contract, Aldo’s protest comes at a time when money and rankings have become two opposing sides. On the one hand you have ‘legitimate’ fights based on the division’s standing, and on the other you have matches that will make money. Seldom are the two part of the same equation.

It’s unclear whether ‘The Notorious’ will return to defend the title he won from Aldo at UFC 194. With the Brazilian currently holding the interim featherweight belt, his frustrations are somewhat understandable. Perhaps the timing of UFC 205 could not have been worse for Aldo. With the UFC wanting to make a big impression in the first ever New York based card, the lightweight title clash with Eddie Alvarez was always going to take primacy. Adding to this complicated situation, ‘Scarface’ is not exactly in the UFC’s ‘good books,’ as it were.

Jose Aldo’s Struggle

Before his first ever UFC loss, Jose Aldo was quite the anti-UFC advocate. This isn’t to say he was right or wrong in his feelings towards the UFC, but we know how the promotion rolls when fighters speak out. Blasting the Reebok deal, accusing the UFC of favoritism with certain fighters, and just generally casting his employers in a negative light may be coming back to bite Jose. Unsurprisingly, Aldo was absolutely ruthless in his statement about Dana White when announcing his desire to leave the UFC.

Wondering about that Tweet that Aldo put out? Oddly enough, just hours before Aldo’s angry statement about retiring from MMA, a Tweet surfaced on his official account that indicated something different. Claiming he’d ‘see McGregor soon,’ it seems a lack in communication between Aldo and his social media manager caused a blip. The former undisputed WEC and UFC kingpin later revealed he’d fired his social media manager. Speaking with Combate, H/T Bloody Elbow, Aldo had yet more to say about the state of affairs in the UFC. Case in point, Dana White’s $10 million GSP snub.

Dana Turned Down GSP’s Mac Money Request?

“I think that my life and the whole featherweight division needs to keep going, not being stalled while he (McGregor) does three fights in the lightweight division. Another one that he wanted to do, make a super fight with Georges St-Pierre, which didn’t work out because Georges wanted 10 million dollars and Dana didn’t want to pay it. So he still put him with Nate for the second time. So for me, Dana’s word is worthless.”

Much like Mark Hunt, Wanderlei Silva, Cung Le, Nate Quarry and so many others, Jose Aldo is taking a stand against the UFC. How will this work out? Unfortunately, this writer’s opinion is that ‘Scarface’ won’t be fighting for the UFC any time soon. Bellator or Rizin FF are surely interested though.

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Three HUGE Fights That Could Headline UFC 205

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UFC 205 has been subject to so many twists and turns in the recent weeks. Following wide-spread rumours of a main event between Conor McGregor and Eddie Alvarez, things started to get a little confusing. Reported as still injured from UFC 202, McGregor’s part in the New York debut for the UFC was now in question. Following that report, number one contender Khabib Nurmagomedov claimed he would be fighting Alvarez. News then broke that the featherweight champ was in fact uninjured, and still aiming to fight at UFC 205.

Posting pictures of two signed bout agreements on Twitter, ‘The Eagle’ furthered reports that he’d receive the next lightweight title fight. ‘The Silent Assassin’ added to the mix of news by stating he still wanted to fight McGregor. There’s been a number of bouts confirmed for UFC 205 so far, and they are as follows:

Who’s Missing?

UFC welterweight championship: Tyron Woodley vs. Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson

UFC Strawweight championship: Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz

Women’s bantamweight: Miesha Tate vs. Raquel Pennington

Welterweight: Kelvin Gastelum vs. Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone

Featherweight: Frankie Edgar vs. Jeremy ‘Lil Heathen’ Stephens

Middleweight: Rashad Evans vs. Tim Kennedy

Lightweight: Thiago Alves vs. Jim Miller

Middleweight: Tim Boetsch vs. Rafael Natal

Woman’s bantamweight: Liz Carmouche vs. Katlyn Chookagian

There’s an announcement set for tomorrow (September 27, 2016) but for the moment, the big names in the recent debate are missing.

Let’s take a look at three HUGE possibilities for UFC 205’s main event…

Eddie Alvarez vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov

After two years away from fighting due to multiple injuries, ‘The Eagle’ returned in April of this year. Solidifying his spot as number one lightweight contender, Nurmagomedov defeated Tony Ferguson’s late replacement Darrell Horcher by submission.

Why would this fight be so huge? Aside from it placing rankings above popularity and money, Nurmagomedov is possibly the most dominant lightweight this division has ever seen.

‘The Eagle’ has never lost a round, and comes to completely shut out his opponents. Undefeated at 23-0, many feel Khabib presents the biggest possible challenge to Eddie Alvarez’s lightweight championship. That’s a very real and intriguing prospect. Also worth considering is that ‘RDA’ appeared to be a very dominating force, but ‘the dog’ in Alvarez put that beast to sleep in no time.

Eddie Alvarez vs. Conor McGregor

Swaying away from the rankings, this scrap has all the makings of a pay-per-view record breaker. That said, as fans and pundits, PPV records aren’t exactly paramount, at least not for the purists. But, and it’s a big one, many are interested to see how ‘The Notorious’ will do at 155 pounds. Don’t think for one minute the UFC won’t book this fight either, as UFC 196 was originally meant to feature Rafael dos Anjos against the Irish star for the lightweight belt.

Should McGregor fight his way through the top 10 for a title fight at 155? Many would argue yes, but does this mean we won’t tune in if Alavarez vs. McGregor is announced as the UFC 205 main event?

Back to rankings…

Conor McGregor vs. Jose Aldo 2

This fight has years of history. After sharing 18 months worth of beef, it took just 13 seconds for Conor McGregor to dethrone Jose Aldo. Claiming the formerly dominant Brazilian’s 145-pound strap, ‘The Notorious’ has spent the last two fights at 170 pounds against Nate Diaz. Many fans and the crop of irate featherweights are calling for McGregor to defend or vacate, so what if it’s the former?

Aldo never really got going in their first meeting, that’s not to say he would in a rematch, but he looked on fire against Frankie Edgar at UFC 200. Now, with the interim strap in hand, the tables have turned on McGregor and Aldo’s rivalry. The Irish star has a junior champion in his midst, and who wouldn’t want to see this fight in the UFC 205 main event?

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Quote: Conor McGregor Will Not Fight For The Belt

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The UFC lightweight division is in focus right now, as the New York debut for the promotion beckons. UFC 205 is set for Madison Square Gardens in NYC, and as usual pulling together the biggest stars for the November 12 pay-per-view has not been a simple process. Originally widely rumoured to feature Eddie Alvarez vs. Conor McGregor for the lightweight title, the story took a few twists and turns this week. First off UFC president Dana White and Khabib Nurmagomedov chimed in.

‘The Eagle’ claimed, with a confirmation from White Himself, that he was next in line for the title shot. Sharing via Twitter that he’d signed the bout agreement for UFC 205 against Alvarez, Nurmagomedov laid waste to weeks of rumours, or at least it appeared that way. Following this stream of head-spinning announcements came another curve ball. Apparently ‘The Notorious’ was still injured from his UFC 202 bout with Nate Diaz. Was the Irish star out of the running for UFC New York?

Who’s It Gonna Be?

After the announcement of McGregor’s injury came reports to the contrary. The featherweight champion was fine and still gunning for a spot at UFC 205. All the while the UFC featherweight division was like the poor relative on the outskirts of town, waiting for an invitation to the big party. Dana White had previously stated McGregor would have to vacate the 145-pound title to fight at any other weight again. Clearly confirmation of anything in that regard is still wanting.

Now we await next Tuesday, where the official line-up of UFC 205 will be confirmed. In the meantime, Ariel Helwani confirmed that neither McGregor or Alvarez have officially been offered a fight against each other. Khabib Nurmagomedov on the other hand, he’s already signed two bout agreements, as per his recent Tweets:

August, September, October and November I was offered to fight, but he never signed agreement. #needtobestrippedof @danawhite

— khabib nurmagomedov (@TeamKhabib) September 23, 2016

What About Conor?

That’s an interesting question, one that ‘The Eagle’ has his own opinion on. As per a report on FOX Sports, Nurmagomedov feels McGregor should fight his way from the bottom:

“I promise I become the lightweight champ, I promise all the lightweight fighters, Conor is not going to fight for the belt. He’s going to have to earn it. From the bottom up.”

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Welcome To The New UFC! Conor McGregor vs. Eddie Alvarez

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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?

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