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After all was said and done, the UFC turned to its most bankable superstar to headline its highly anticipated New York debut.
Can’t Wait
Dubbed as “Can’t Wait”, the announcement of McGregor vs. Alvarez made UFC 205 perhaps the most highly awaited event of all-time.
Earlier, the UFC had announced two title fights for its Madison Square Garden debut. Welterweight champion Tyron Woodley will defend his belt against top contender Stephen Thompson while womens’ Strawweight queen Joanna Jedrzejczyk will face fellow Karolina Kowalkiewicz in an all-Polish showdown.
But despite those two title fights, UFC 205 seemed lacking luster. On Monday, the UFC added the crown jewel:
IT’S GOING DOWN!! 🇮🇪 @TheNotoriousMMA challenges 🇺🇸 @EAlvarezFight for the lightweight title @TheGarden!! #UFC205 is OFFICIALLY 🔥 🔥 🔥 pic.twitter.com/vRtyi34QEd
— #UFCPortland (@ufc) September 27, 2016
Back and Forth
The confirmation of the McGregor-Alvarez Lightweight title bout came as a surprise because the week before, UFC President Dana White had said that he would prefer that McGregor defends his 145-pound title against nemesis Jose Aldo.
Prior to that, there were rumors that the Irishman’s foot injury hadn’t healed yet and that he would not be ready to fight in New York. White also tweeted to a fan that it would be Khabib Nurmagomedov who would be facing Alvarez in the latter’s first title defense. But as fate would have it, UFC 205 would not be the blockbuster that it is expected to be without the UFC’s main man.
Two-Division Champion
When Conor McGregor began 2016, his goal was to win a second world title. But when Rafael Dos Anjos pulled out of their UFC 196 bout with an injury, McGregor went on to face Nate Diaz at UFC 196. McGregor lost and spent the next couple of months redeeming himself from the loss that derailed his plans to take over the UFC.
The Notorious King got his revenge at UFC 202, beating Diaz by decision. Now that he’s on track once again, the quest to become the third man to win two weight classes in the UFC has continued. A win by McGregor will not only let him join the company of B.J. Penn and Randy Couture, it will make McGregor the first man to hold two title belts concurrently.
Philly’s Pride
Beating Alvarez won’t be a walk in the park, though. The former two-time Bellator Lightweight champion is on a roll. After losing to Donald Cerrone in his UFC debut, he’s racked up three consecutive victories. Those wins weren’t just ordinary ones. They came at the expense of Gilbert Melendez, Anthony Pettis and Rafael Dos Anjos.
For his part, Alvarez got his wish. After sensationally knocking out Dos Anjos last July 7th, Alvarez demanded a big money fight with the winner of McGregor-Diaz. He got it, and what follows is without a doubt one of the best UFC fight cards we’ve ever witnessed.
UFC 205 will be held on November 12th, 2016 at the fabled Madison Square Garden in New York. Naturally, we can’t wait.
