Conor McGregor can fulfill one more whim
After several weeks of negotiations, he was presented this Tuesday to fight against Eddie Alvarez for the UFC lightweight title, without having to give up the featherweight belt, which he will not defend in all of 2016.
Expected inaugural event at UFC 205 in New York on November 12
It will feature three championship fights. Tyron Woodley will have his first welterweight title defense against Stephen Thompson and Polish fighter Joanna Jędrzejczyk will defend her strawweight belt against compatriot Karolina Kowalkiewicz. It will take place at the Madison Square Garden, which has been waiting for 25 years for the arrival of mixed martial arts, which were not regulated until this year in the state of New York.
MMA legend Aldo expresses his annoyance
Dana White, president of the UFC, assured that if McGregor beats Álvarez, the current interim champion José Aldo will have to give up one of the two belts. However, Aldo has already expressed his displeasure with this decision.
Aldo threatens to retire
Aldo explained that he was offered a fight with McGregor on November 12, and then a fight with Max Holloway or Anthony Pettis. The decision to allow McGregor to keep both titles is what made Aldo explode and declare that he prefers to retire, as he believes that the man who defeated him at UFC 194 is the one making the decisions in the UFC.
"Since I'm not here to be an employee of McGregor, I'm asking to terminate my contract. When they offered me the fight with Frankie Edgar, Dana White said that the winner would fight Conor or keep the absolute belt. He said that if I didn't defend it, I would lose the belt after the fight with Nate Diaz, and that didn't happen. I've been fooled so many times that I don't feel any motivation to fight in the UFC," Aldo declared to Combate in Brazil.
Khabib Nurmagomedov also upset with the decision
Khabib Nurmagomedov, who was hoping for a fight against Álvarez, will now face Michael Johnson in a fight that doesn't benefit him much, as he was already the first choice for a title shot.
Despite the complaints, UFC moves forward
UFC held the first face-offs and completed a card full of local stars who were hoping to be part of the first event in the city. Former middleweight champion Chris Weidman will face Cuban fighter Joel Romero and Frankie Edgar will have a tough test against Jeremy Stepens.
Mexican blood will be represented by Kelvin Gastelum, who left the Mexico City card on November 5 to take a higher-profile fight against Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone, hoping that a win will propel him to a fight against the winner of Woodley and Thompson.
UFC 205
Madison Square Garden
New York
- Eddie Alvarez vs. Conor McGregor (UFC lightweight title)
- Tyron Woodley vs. Stephen Thompson (UFC welterweight title)
- Joanna Jędrzejczyk vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz (UFC strawweight title)
- Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Michael Johnson
- Chris Weidman vs. Yoel Romero
- Kelvin Gastelum vs. Donald Cerrone
- Miesha Tate vs. Raquel Pennington
- Frankie Edgar vs. Jeremy Stephens
- Tim Kennedy vs. Rashad Evans
- Tim Boetsch vs. Rafael Natal
- Jim Miller vs. Thiago Alves
- Lyman Good vs. Belal Muhammad
- Liz Carmouche vs. Katlyn Chookagian