Despite all the smoke and mirrors, UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor will fight at UFC 205 in New York. He will meet lightweight titleholder Eddie Alvarez in the main event.
UFC officials announced the bout Monday night, putting to rest what the headlining bout would be for UFC 205 on Nov. 12 at Madison Square Garden.
Though UFC president Dana White had said that McGregor was “hurt” and unlikely to fight on the New York card, and saying that Alvarez had been offered a fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov both for UFC 205 and again for UFC 206 in Toronto, it appears that was little more than a smokescreen… or perhaps 2016 negotiating tactics.
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White relented on his demand that McGregor defend his title in his next bout or relinquish it, confirming that McGregor would retain his 145-pound divisional title through UFC 205.
McGregor will move up in weight, challenging Alvarez for the UFC lightweight championship. If he is successful, McGregor will become the first fighter in UFC history to hold title belts in two weight classes simultaneously. Randy Couture and BJ Penn have both held belts in two different divisions, but neither held the differing belts at the same time.
BREAKING
@TheNotoriousMMA and @Ealvarezfight battle for the LW title as #UFC205 main event. https://t.co/p3U70PZQJZ #UFCNYC pic.twitter.com/AvJZhg5PVM
— UFC (@ufc) September 27, 2016
The bout is the third title fight to grace the UFC 205 fight card. Other championship bouts include welterweight titleholder Tyron Woodley making the first defense of his belt, when he squares off with Stephen Thompson, as well as women’s strawweight champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk putting her title up against Karolina Kowalkiewicz.
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