After being submitted by Nate Diaz at last March’s UFC 196, outspoken featherweight champion Conor McGregor appeared to a bit calmer than his usual outlandish self in terms of verbal assaults and predictions. Then, however, he got his revenge on Diaz via majority decision at August 20’s UFC 202. And now, McGregor is right back
After being submitted by Nate Diaz at last March’s UFC 196, outspoken featherweight champion Conor McGregor appeared to a bit calmer than his usual outlandish self in terms of verbal assaults and predictions.
Then, however, he got his revenge on Diaz via majority decision at August 20’s UFC 202. And now, McGregor is right back to work as it was announced last night (September 26, 2016) that the “Notorious” one will take on 155-pound champion Eddie Alvarez in a bona fide super fight at arguably the promotion’s biggest card to date in UFC 205, which is scheduled for November 12, 2016 from New York.
Back into the win column, and set to take in what will likely be yet another massive pay day, McGregor has returned to form. Appearing at today’s (September 27, 2016) UFC 205 press conference, the featherweight champion continuously blasted “The Underground King”. And on top of that, “Mystic Mac” made one of his infamous predictions, also showing his love for the Empire State:
“Shut your f***ing mouth,” McGregor told Alvarez. “I love New York. I run this whole s**t. And Mystic Mac predicts I’m going to KO you inside of one round.”
The “Notorious” one has long said that being a two-weight world champion was his goal, and that competing at lightweight was a possibility. Now that he has the opportunity to do both, McGregor feels as if his biggest impact will finally be felt:
“I’m very happy with the 155-pound weight limit. I feel like with all the divisions I ran around and ran through, 155 I feel will be the one where I take over the most.”
Who do you see walking away with lightweight gold on the grandest stage of them all?
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
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?
It looks as if November 12’s UFC 205 from Madison Square Garden in New York has added another title fight to its card. According to a report from Bloody Elbow, reigning women’s strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk will put her title on the line against fellow polish combatant and No. 2-ranked contender Karolina Kowalkiewicz. “Joanna Champion”
It looks as if November 12’s UFC 205 from Madison Square Garden in New York has added another title fight to its card. According to a report from Bloody Elbow, reigning women’s strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk will put her title on the line against fellow polish combatant and No. 2-ranked contender Karolina Kowalkiewicz.
“Joanna Champion” also took to her official Instagram account to post a picture of herself holding a freshly signed bout agreement:
A photo posted by Joanna Jedrzejczyk (@joannajedrzejczyk) on
Kowalkiewicz currently possesses an undefeated 10-0 professional record as well as a 3-0 record inside the Octagon. She’s picked up victories over Randa Marcos, Heather Clark, and former title challenger Rose Namajunas.
Jedrzejczyk, on the other hand, is also undefeated at 12-0, and has defended her strap three times to date. After destroying former champion Carla Esparza in March 2015, the Polish striker has taken out Jessica Penne, Valerie Letorneau, and Claudia Gadelha, looking more impressive each time out.
UFC 205 will also play host to a welterweight title fight between Tyron Woodley and surging contender Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson. Also confirmed for the event is a welterweight bout between Donald Cerrone and Kelvin Gastelum, a featherweight bout between Frankie Edgar and Jeremy Stephens, and a middleweight fight between Rashad Evans and Tim Kennedy.
It’s currently unclear which bout will headline the monumental card.
The scene surrounding UFC 205 has been bizarre to say the least. Fans were teased with rumours of a massive title fight between Eddie Alvarez and Conor McGregor, but that tale took a twist this week. After widespread reports that Alvazrez vs. McGregor was a done deal, Khabib Nurmagomedov’s name cropped up in the mix.
The scene surrounding UFC 205 has been bizarre to say the least. Fans were teased with rumours of a massive title fight between Eddie Alvarez and Conor McGregor, but that tale took a twist this week. After widespread reports that Alvazrez vs. McGregor was a done deal, Khabib Nurmagomedov’s name cropped up in the mix. According to UFC president Dana White and ‘The Eagle,’ they were simply waiting on Alvarez to sign the bout agreement. Following this apparent shuffle at UFC 205 came reports that McGregor was still rehabbing his foot injury from UFC 202.
Then we learned ‘The Notorious’ was fine, and still wanting to compete on the first New York card in MMA history. After so many conflicting stories and ‘leaked’ announcements, it’s fair to assume someone is leading a bit of a wild goose chase. In all seriousness though, the UFC 205 card is lacking in New York natives. Al Iaquinta removed himself from the card recently after being banned from earning bonuses for three fights. His controversial story links to reports that Chris Weidman is refusing to fight at MSG too. What about the big three at lightweight then?
Khabib Calls BS
As the UFC seems to be swinging between money fights and rankings, both Alvarez and McGregor seem set on the latter. Stuck in the middle is the number one ranked Khabib Nurmagomedov, who told ESPN via MMAFighting that he isn’t happy. According to the undefeated 155-pounder, handing ‘The Notorious’ a title shot at lightweight is ‘Number 1 bullshit.’
“Conor’s stuck two divisions, featherweight and lightweight. Now Conor makes the decisions…
“I want to fight at 205 in New York, maybe fight with Eddie Alvarez. I love this fight. I want to fight for the belt. All fans, coaches, fighters, analytics, everybody agrees and knows who deserves this title shot. I deserve it. I am No. 1 ranked. Why UFC put me on No. 1 ranking if they don’t want to give me title shot? Why do they make rankings?
“Conor McGregor fights in the UFC in a lighter division and the UFC wants to give him title shot? I think this is No. 1 bullshit. They cannot give him a title shot because he’s never fought with the top guys, like top five, top 10 in the lightweight division, and they want to give him title shot? “
‘Not High Level’
After a lengthy period of absence due to injury, ‘The Eagle’ returned to defeat Darrell Horcher by TKO. Although he was out for nearly two years to the day, Nurmagomedov managed to maintain his top ranked spot. In regards to Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz, Khabib says neither are a high level fight for the top five in the lightweight rankings:
“I think at 170 pounds a lot of people can kill both [McGregor and Diaz]. This is my opinion. If we look at the lightweight division, I think a lot of guys can beat these guys. Edson Barboza, Tony Ferguson, Dos Anjos, Michael Johnson, a lot of guys can beat those guys. I think this is big money fight, and that’s it. I don’t think this it’s a high level fight.
“For me it’s very interesting, how will Conor look when he comes to lightweight division? For me, I think his weight is 155 , but if he wants to fight for the title he needs to take somebody like a top five fighter. If he beats him, he deserves title shot, I agree. But now if the UFC gives him a title shot, I don’t agree because I am the next in the line.”
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
Originally, New York native and No. 13-ranked lightweight Al Iaquinta was slated to meet former welterweight title challenger Thiago “Pitbull” Alves at November 12’s UFC 205 from Madison Square Garden in New York. Yesterday (September 19, 2016), however, Iaquinta announced that he was pulling out of the bout due to contract disputes with the promotion.
Originally, New York native and No. 13-ranked lightweight Al Iaquinta was slated to meet former welterweight title challenger Thiago “Pitbull” Alves at November 12’s UFC 205 from Madison Square Garden in New York. Yesterday (September 19, 2016), however, Iaquinta announced that he was pulling out of the bout due to contract disputes with the promotion.
The UFC has quickly found a replacement for Iaquinta as MMAJunkie has reported that veteran Jim Miller has stepped up to take on Alves.
The New Jersey native has gotten back to his winning ways in recent memory, picking up back-to-back to victories over the likes of Takanori Gomi and Jou Lauzon.
Alves, on the other hand, will be making his 155-pound debut in this bout. The “Pitbull” is coming off of a brutal loss to former interim 170-pound champion Carlos Condit, but prior to that he had won two straight over Seth Baczynski and Jordan Mein.
UFC 205 is still searching for a main event, but it was recently announced that welterweight champion Tyron Woodley will defend his title against Stephen Thompson on the card. Former middleweight champion Chris Weidman will also face off with surging contender Yoel “The Soldier of God” Romero.
A lightweight title tilt between champion Eddie Alvarez and 145-pound king Conor McGregor has been rumored as a possible headliner, but nothing has been finalized just yet.
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