Showdown Joe: Can UFC 205 Hurry Up Already!?
In what is being hailed as the greatest card ever put together by the Ultimate Fighting Championship, UFC 205: Alvarez vs. McGregor set for Madison Square Gardens on November 12th, quite frankly, cannot come soon enough.
The main card will see a trio of title fights as well as a top of the food chain middleweight contender bout. But the interesting decision coming for the UFC will be who will kick off the pay per view card, who will headline the prelims and what bouts will be reserved for Fight Pass.
The headliner will see Lightweight Champ Eddie Alvarez will put his title on the line vs. featherweight ruler Conor McGregor, clearly on a mission to become the first ever two division champion in UFC history.
Many did not believe this bout would take place as it was the last of three options the promotion would likely allow Conor to accept. In fact, many thought Alvarez’ next opponent was going to be Khabib Nurmagomedov, but the Dagestani apparently requested Michael Johnson instead.
Fans were led to believe McGregor would be forced to defend his title vs. interim champ Jose Aldo Jr. or perhaps a trilogy bout versus arch nemesis Nate Diaz. Not so fast I guess. Now, it’s safe to say that if Diaz sticks by his own words, we will not see him compete again, until Conor is free to do so, which may not be awhile. If Conor defeats Alvarez, then what?
As for Aldo, he’s bitter … so much so he has asked the UFC to be released. It won’t happen but this is one story yours truly will be paying close attention to. Don’t be surprised if the promotion does in fact cut ties with the Brazilian.
In the co-main event, welterweight champ Tyron Woodley will defend his title vs. Stephen Thompson. This is an amazing stylistic matchup and one I cannot wait to dissect over the coming weeks.
The third title bout will pit women’s strawweight queen Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz, a bout that will likely have fans in attendance standing from the opening bell. It’s an all Polish battle with country bragging rights on the line as well, and rest assured, Joanna is not happy with Karolina. Mark my words.
Then there’s the middleweight contender tilt between former champion Chris Weidman and Cuban monster Yoel Romero. It’s a bout where Weidman will not have the wrestling advantage and perhaps the speed and explosive advantage goes to Romero as well. I cannot wait to see what Aces Chris will have up his sleeve and/or whether Yoel takes that giant step into the undeniable position of being next in line for a shot at whomever will be the divisional kingpin at that time.
As for the rest of the card and the bout placements, I’m curious to see where the UFC will position the remaining bouts:
- Donald Cerrone vs. Kelvin Gastelum
- Raquel Pennington vs. Miesha Tate
- Frankie Edgar vs. Jeremy Stephens
- Rashad Evans vs. Tim Kennedy
- Tim Boetsch vs. Rafael Natal
- Thiago Alves vs. Jim Miller
- Lyman Good vs. Belal Muhammad
- Liz Carmouche vs. Katlyn Chookagian
Did I mention November 12th cannot come soon enough?
