UFC has officially announced the main event for its historic trip to New York at UFC 205.
After weeks of rumors and speculations running rampant, UFC has announced that Featherweight Champion Conor McGregor will meet Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez in a rare champion vs. champion bout for the Lightweight Championship.
The announcement comes following UFC’s quiet removal of the original main event, Welterweight Champion Tyron Woodley vs. Stephen Thompson, as it faced intense criticism for what was perceived as a lackluster card for its inaugural visit to Madison Square Garden.
UFC initially downplayed reports that McGregor would face Alvarez as Dana White claimed McGregor was dealing with an injury and would likely face Jose Aldo to defend his Featherweight Title. White also said that Alvarez would be facing top ranked lightweight contender Khabib Nurmagomedov in his next bout, quelling the hopes that fans would see the first champion vs. champion bout in nearly seven years.
UFC will make history by being the first MMA organization to host an event in the Empire State.
Cervantes Analysis: This is monumental. I was genuinely disappointed by the card and the main event, especially given that former CEO Lorenzo Feritta had promised a UFC 100-esque lineup of fights if the UFC were allowed to host an event in New York. With the addition of this fight, it truly feels like a card worthy of the stage it is being hosted on. The Garden has been the home to some of the most iconic legends of all time across an array of various disciplines, and anything less than this fight would have gone down as a disappointment for the UFC’s very first visit to New York. I am beyond excited for this fight as we haven’t seen a champion vs. champion match since GSP vs. B.J. Penn, the match that first got me hooked on MMA. We will have the opportunity to see two of the most talented fighters to ever grace the Octagon battle in their prime for the title on the greatest stage of all. This is as real as it gets.
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