The show is headlined by a champion vs champion battle, with current Featherweight Champion
Conor McGregor taking on Philly's own Eddie Alvarez for the Lightweight Championship. The controversial fight keeps the featherweight belt hostage, as it is McGregor's third fight outside of the weight class since winning the belt in December 2015. Only two men, Randy Couture and BJ Penn, have won belts in two different weight classes, but Conor would be the first to hold two belts consecutively.
Don't count out Eddie Alvarez though. Alvarez was a big underdog when he knocked out Rafael Dos Anjos on UFC 200 weekend. Alvarez will be wise to try to take the fight to the ground and out wrestle the Irish brawler. If Alvarez is able to withstand McGregor's initial onslaught, this will be a dog fight that will probably go to the judges.
Both guys have done a tremendous job building up hype for this fight. Emotions almost spilt ov'er at the pre-fight press conference in a wild scene. Conor was late again, and after answering a few questions, Eddie walked out until McGregor arrived. Conor arrived in high fashion, rocking a Gucci mink coat, and pretending to come in riding a horse. He snatched the absent Alvarez's belt, and when Eddie came back, he grabbed the belt back and slid his chair out of the way. McGregor responded by picking the chair up Stone Cold style and had to be held back by Dana White and security.
The co-main event is for the Welterweight Championship, between champ Tyron Woodley and contender Stephen Thompson. After his upset win against Robbie Lawler, Woodley called out GSP and Nick Diaz, looking for a big money fight. Wonderboy, who is on a seven-fight winning streak felt like he was being overlooked, and called out the champ.
This fight should be exciting. The kickboxer, Thompson, has 4 wins by knockout in his last seven fights, and the boxer, Woodley, has had 4 of his last 5 wins come via the knockout. Tyron Woodley is the underdog in this bout because of a suspect gas tank. He's going to have to connect with an early punch like he did against Robbie Lawler to have his best chance at a win.
The Women's Strawweight Belt is on the line as two undefeated Polish women battle for the gold. Joanna Jędrzejczyk is a firecracker and throws punches in bunches. The world started to take notice of her after co-main eventing Ronda Rousey's fight against Holly Holm, and has a chance to steal the show in what could be the biggest PPV in UFC history. Karolina Kowalkiewicz is not a walk over either, but she doesn't have knockout power, and I find it hard to see her matching Joanna's output over 5 rounds.
On top of the 3 title fights, there are 4 more fights that could headline most Fox shows. Chris Weidman could earn a title fight against Michael Bisping with a win in his home state against Yoel Romero. The All-American wrestler has youth on his side against the 39-year old Romero. Miesha Tate returns after losing her Bantamweight title at UFC 200 against Racquel Pennington, in a stylistic mismatch for the former champ.
Frankie Edgar looks to crawl his way back into the title picture at 145 after his loss to Jose Aldo at UFC 200. The featherweight division is in a holding pattern, with McGregor going for superfights, and an upset Aldo threatening retirement over grumblings with UFC brass. A win against Jeremy Stephens may be "The Answer" to get Frankie back in contention. Finally, Michael Johnson and Khabib Nurmagomedov fight in essentially a number one contender's fight. Khabib was originally reported to fight Alvarez on this card, and has voiced his disappointment of his treatment by the UFC.
New York City waited 23 years for a UFC card, and Dana White and new owner WME-IMG didn't disappoint. Madison Square Garden will be rocking tonight, and I'll be in the building for the best card in the history of the organization. Enjoy the fights everyone!
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