With UFC 205 in the rearview mirror, only the memories remain. That’s why we’re taking a final look at the biggest event in UFC history with Brooklyn-born Mark La Monica of Newsday on the latest Josh Nason’s Punch-Out.
On the menu:
– The guys talk about how Mark got into MMA writing and the road to getting to UFC’s debut in Madison Square Garden this past weekend.
– What made MSG and the experience so special?
– Mark has some key takeaways from the show and why he was so impressed with Khabib Nurmagomedov.
– They discuss Conor McGregor’s potential holding up of two divisions in 2017 and what both want to see him do next.
– Where does Chris Weidman go from here and should light heavyweight be in his future?
– They talk about the three shows coming up this weekend and why Benson Henderson vs. Michael Chandler could be the weekend’s biggest fight.
All that and more in this free edition of Josh Nason’s Punch-Out. Click below to listen:
Conor McGregor, in breaking more records and becoming the first person to hold championships in two different weight classes at the same time in UFC history, has become both the greatest asset and the biggest threat of any fighter in history to UFC management.
After drawing what is expected to be his fourth consecutive 1 million plus purchased pay-per-view, and being the headliner in a show that destroyed the company gate record, now has both management and three different weight classes somewhat on ice.
After McGregor captured the lightweight title from Eddie Alvarez in a shockingly one-sided butchering on 11/12 at the company’s debut event in Madison Square Garden, the dual champion gave a lot of implied threats.
With challengers waiting in two different weight divisions, McGregor talked about having a child coming next year and saying he doesn’t know if he wants to raise a child as the son of a celebrity, acting like he may just walk away after a year where it’s claimed he’s earned $40 million (Let’s just say it’s healthy to be skeptical about that figure).
After falling to Raquel Pennington in a unanimous decision at UFC 205, former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Miesha Tate announced her retirement from MMA inside the Octagon in an interview with Joe Rogan.
In the interview, Tate claimed that this was a decision she made as a result of this fight, saying that she had nothing left to give and that the future (pointing to Pennington) had passed her by.
Tate was also a former Strikeforce bantamweight champion and lost that title to Ronda Rousey in a fight that caught the attention of Dana White and led the way for women to compete in the UFC. A 2013 rematch with Rousey at UFC 168 did over a million PPV buys with the Rousey vs. Tate fight underneath the headline bout of Anderson Silva vs. Chris Weidman.
She won the UFC women’s bantamweight title over Holly Holm on the undercard of UFC 196. Tate then lost the belt in a one-sided fight against current champion Amanda Nunes in the main event of UFC 200.
We’ll have more on this on tonight’s Wrestling Observer Radio following tonight’s show.
Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC 205: Alvarez vs. McGregor, eminating from Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York.
This is the much anticipated debut of the UFC in New York, and they are bringing the most stacked card in company history for the Octagon’s first visit to famed Madison Square Garden, capping off a night of action with the biggest draw in company history looking to make history.
In the main event, UFC Featherweight Champion Conor McGregor looks to become the first fighter to hold championships in two divisions at the same time as he challenges Eddie Alvarez for the UFC Lightweight Championship. McGregor is coming off two high-profile fights with Nate Diaz while Alvarez makes his first title defense after knocking out Rafael Dos Anjos in July.
In addition, there are two other championship bouts. UFC Welterweight Champion Tyron Woodley makes his first title defense against top contender, Stephen Thompson, winner of seven straight fights. Woodley knocked out Robbie Lawler to win the title at UFC 201 in July, while Thompson is getting his title shot on the heels of a dominant win over Rory MacDonald.
UFC Strawweight Champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk makes her fourth title defense against fellow Polish strawweight, Karolina Kowalkiewicz, in the third title fight on the card. Jedrzejczyk last fought in July, successfully defending against Claudia Gadelha, while Kowalkiewicz is coming off a decision win over Rose Namajunas in July. Both women are undefeated in their professional careers, but Jedrzejczyk holds a win over Kowalkiewicz in an amateur bout.
The main card also has a middleweight bout as former champion Chris Weidman takes on Yoel Romero, and Miesha Tate battles Raquel Pennington in women’s bantamweight action. The most stacked prelims of all-time includes featherweights Frankie Edgar and Jeremy Stephens doing battle as well as top lightweight contender Khabib Nurmagomedov taking on Michael Johnson.
We’re looking for your thoughts on the show, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbe in the middle along with a best and worst match to [email protected]
Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 7 PM eastern time with preliminary action all the way thru the main card.
We are looking for your thoughts on the event so leave your thumbs up, thumbs in the middle, or thumbs down along with a best and worst fight to [email protected].
The place is fairly empty at this point. More than a Las Vegas crowd but not like a lot of first-time markets. Carmouche is ripped, more than most of the guys.
First round: Carmouche with low kicks. Chookagian landed a right., Carmouche back with a right. Carmouche with a low kick and a right and a takedown. Carmouche is in side control Chookagian back up with minimal damage. Carmouche trying for another takedown. Carmouche has her against the fence. High slam by Carmouche with 1:05 left. Carmouche is just holding her down. Fans chanting Ole for no reason. Carmouche with some short elbows. Carmouche 10-9
Second round: Carmouche has her and trying to throw her. Both landed knees. Chookagian broke the clinch. Chookagian with a low kick. Carmouche took her down with a back suplex. She moved to side control. Carmouche with short elbows. Chookagian regained guard and wants a triangle. Carmouche with some short punches. The crowd is starting to boo them. Carmouche is staying busy but they could stand them up. Chookagaian up. Knee by Chookagian. Left by Chookagian. Chookagian whiffed on a combo. Right by Chookagian landed. Low kick by Chookagian. Carmouche’s round 20-18.
Third round: Chookagian dropped her with a great head kick. Carmouche back up. The crowd exploded. Knee by Chookagian. Carmouche going for a takedown. Chookagian momentarily got behind her but Carmouche turned her into the fence. Knee by Carmouche. Chookagian landed a combo. Big right by Chokagian. Chookagian landed solid punches now. Carmouche is bleeding from the nose. Carmouche took her down which drew a groan from the crowd. Carmouche is holding her down. Chookagian up and Carmouche threw a knee. Chookagian broke free. Head kick by Chookagian. Low kick by Carmouche. Chookagian in with punches. Low kick by Carmouche. Good right by Chookagian. Carmouche shot for a takedown but doesn’t have it. But she’s taking seconds off the clock. Chookagian’s round but Carmouche should win 29-28.
> Jim Miller (27-8 1 NC, 16-7 1 NC UFC) vs. Thiago Alves (21-10, 13-6 UFC)
Catch weight of 162.5
Alves missed weight by 6.5 pounds.
First round: Knee by Alves. Miller with a left. Miller in with an uppercut. Miller landed a punch and took Alves down off a kick. Miller is working to get his back. Alves scrambled up. Left kick to the body by Miller. Both landing now with Alves landing a good knee. Right by Alves and head kick by Alves. Alves came on strong at the end but 10-9 Miller.
Second round: Body kick by Alves. Body kick by Alves. He tried another and Miller tried to take him down off it. Alves defended the takedown. Miller with a blast double leg takedown. Miller cradled him on the ground. Miller is keeping him down. There was a USA chant. Miller landed a few punches as Alves got up. Miller with a left. Alves with a right. Body kick by Alves. Punch and knee by Alves. Alves missed a spinning backfist. Alves landed the backfist. Miller is bleeding. Close round. 20-18 Miller.
Third round: Body kick by Alves. Mller slipped. Alves landing punches and a body kick. Both swinging. Miller hit the blast double again. That could clinch him the fight. Alves back up. Alves with a body kcik. Miller got another takedown. Miller got his back. Alves almost got up but Miller wrestled him back down. Miller tried a guillotine and Alves slipped out and on top. Alves landed some elbows and punches from the top as the round ended. Another close round. Miller 30-27.
Scores: 30-27, 29-28 and 30-27 for Miller
FOX SPORTS 1 PRELIMS | 8 PM ET/5 PM PT
> Vicente Luque (10-5-1, 3-1 UFC) vs. Belal Muhammad (10-1, 1-1 UFC) Welterweights
First round: Luque dropped him with a left hook and landed a few brutal shots on the ground before it was stopped. 1:19′
Luque said he dropped 30 pounds for the fight.
> Rafael Natal (#14, 21-7-1, 9-5-1 UFC) vs. Tim Boetsch (19-10, 10-9 UFC) Middleweights
First round: Boetsch landed a right as Natal went for a takedown. Boetsch is the one moving forward. Natal missed a spinning backfist. Trading punches and Boetsch got the better of it. Body kick by Natal. Boetsch dropped him with a right hook that knocked Natal flying and finished him on the ground. It was weird. It was like Natal wasn’t himself at all. 3:22
Boetsch credited the win to the Irish Hand Grenade Marcus Davis for the win. Joe Rogan and Boetch said the first punch early shook up Natal and he was tentative from there.
> Khabib Nurmagomedov (#2, 23-0, 7-0 UFC) vs. Michael Johnson (#6, 17-10, 9-6 UFC) Lightweights
First round: Johnson throwing early. He landed a nice left. He’s landing good punches on Khabib. He’s got Khabib hurt now. Johnson landed a hard left. Johnson blocked the takedown attempt. But Khabib powered him down into side control USA chants Khabib with lefts. Now he’s dropping elbows and throwing hard punches on the ground. Khabib dropping more elbows. Big punches by Khabib. He’s got his back and throwing more punches. Khabib 10-9. The crowd went nuts giving both a standing ovation after the round.
Second round: Johnson landed a left. Left to the body by Johnson. Khabib landing punches now and tied him up. Johnson got away from the takedown attempt. Johnson blocked another takedown,. Knee and punch and Johnson sprawled. Johnson going for a guillotine but Khabib popped out and is on top. Khabib immediately passed to side control and throwing punches. He’s got a crucifox position on Johnson and punching. More punches by Khabib. Khabib with hard lefts from the top. Now Khabib has back position and is throwing a ton of punches. More punches from side position. Now he’s throwing hard rights. 10-8 Khabib’s round so 20-17 after two.
Third round: USA chant to start the round. Both throwing punches. Khabib took him down again. The crowd booed. Khabib is landing punches again from that position. Khabib is trying for a finish with punches but Johnson can take his shots. Johnson tried to kick off the cage to reverse. Now Khabib is working for a Kimura and got the tap. Very interesting because his win was more dominant than Ferguson but Ferguson is a more entertaining fighter 2:31
Khabib said I want to stay humble but I have to talk. I show the crazy power the UFC PR is. He cut a promo on Conor and the crowd stared to boo him. He wanted to face the Irish chicken, said
Irish only six million, Russia 150 million. He then talked Russian. He got great heat. The crowd hated him. He said Joe Rogan knows MMA for 20 years and asked Rogan if he desreved a title shot. Rogan said he deserved it which the crowd didh’t like.
> Frankie Edgar (#2, 20-5-1, 14-5-1 UFC) vs. Jeremy Stephens (#7, 25-12, 12-11 UFC) Featherweights
First round: Edgar got the biggest pop so far. The place is pretty packed now, I’d say 90-95%. Stephens looks 15 pounds heavier in the cage. Edgar tried a takedown and Stephens sprawled. Low kick by Stephens. Edgar moved in for a takedown but Stephens disengaged. Body kick by Edgar. Knee by Stephens. Low kick by Stephens. Edgar with a two punch combo. Let’s Go Frankie chant pretty loud. Edgar with a front headlock and throwing knees. He’s working for the takedown and not getting it. Edgar slammed him but Stephens right baacck up. Edgar slammed him again but Stephens up. Stephens poked Edgar in the eye and a time out was called. Stephens with punches. Edgar 10-9 but closer than you’d think.
Second round: Stephens complained of a low blow. Edgar with a right. Jumping kick by Stephens. Body kick by Edgar. Low kick by Edgar. Edgar got a momentary takedown . He got a back slam takedown. Stephens right back up again. Edgar in with punches. Good right by Edgar. Edgar with punches. Stephens with a great kick to the chin and Edgar went down. Edgar is hurt. Stephens with a right. Stephens going for the finish. Another right by Stephens. Stephens with a left. Hard left by Stephens. Let’s go Frankie chants. Stephens with a right. Edgar back with a combo, and got the takedown and got a guillotine. Stephens out of it. What a great round. Edgar on top. Loud Frankie chants. He’s going for the guillotine again. Edgar landed punches from the top late. 10-9 Stephens for 19-19 after two. Standing ovation for the round.
Third round: Let’s go Frankie chants. Stephens threw a kick and Edgar used it to take him down. Stephens working for a Kimura but Edgar out of trouble. Edgar elbowing the ribs. Edgar staying on top. Edgar trying to work for a choke. Edgar with a back suplex slam. Edgar is behind him working for a choke again. Stephens up with 2:13 left. Big right by Stephens. Edgar went for a takedown and couldn’t get it. Edgar with a left. Edgar with a right. Uppercut by Stephens. Both throwing and Stephens landed some good shots and Edgar back as the fight ended. Edgar 29-28. The crowd gave them a standing ovation again.
First round: Tate didn’t get nearly the reaction she usually gets. Tate with a right. Pennnington landing jabs. Pennington hurting her with punches. Rocky chant. Tate landing punches to the body and head and working for a takedown. Pennington lifted Tate up with a guollotone. It was crazy. Tate tried to kick off the cage. Tate finally go the takedown. Pennington back up. Pennington looks like she wants to do the old pump handle move. That’s a pro wrestling joke. Nothing much happening and crowd starting to get restless. Tate had her back. Tate did control the positioning but Pennington did more damage. Hard to score, 10-9 Pennington.
Second round: Pennington with a nice right. Left by Pennington. Anohter left by Pennington. Penningotn landed solid shots. Tate with lefts. Knee by Tate from the clinch. Tate trying for the takedown. Knee by Tate. Both throwing punches. Pennington got behind Tate. Tate throwing elbows. Crowd is bored by this fight. Pennington landing punches from the clinch. Tate with knees and Pennington with body shots as they’re in the clinch. Body shots by Pennington. Both landed punches as the round ended. Pennington 20-18.
Third round: Both the rounds were close so it’s anyone’s fight. Tate tried to pull guard to get it to the ground. She almost got an armbar. Pennington landing punches from the top. Tate again working for an armbar. Pennington landing punches from the top. Tate now trying for a triangle but doesn’t have it. Tate now going for a leglock. She tried a heel hook but didn’t get it. They’re in a clinch and Pennington is landing some short punches. Pennington took her down and is throwing more punches. Rare boring fight from Tate. Pennington landing a lot of punches late. Pennington 30-27.
Scores: 29-28, 30-27 and 30-27 Pennington. Bad time for a loss for Tate.
Tate announced her retirement after. She said it’s not her time anymore and she’s been around for a long time and she couldn’t pull it off.
> Chris Weidman (#2, 13-1, 9-1 UFC) vs. Yoel Romero (#4, 12-1, 7-0 UFC) Middleweights
First round: This is a really big fight because a strong Weidman win can make him a New York superstar. Not to mention he’ll probably get a title match with a win. Romero is a freak athlete, but he’s also 39 years old. They showed Bisping watching the fight. USA chant to start. Hard body kick by Romero. Weidman tried a takedown but not hard, more diversion. Body kick by Weidman. Ole chants. Weidman took him down once but Romero back up. Body kick by Weidman. Body kicks by Weidman. Another takedown by Weidman and Romero back up. Low kick by Weidman. Left by Romero. Romero with lefts. Body kick by Romnero. Weidman took him down and got his back. Weidman 10-9.
Second round: The referee wiped Vaseline off Romero’s back at the start of the round. Left by Romero. Left by Romero. Body kick by Weidman. Knee by Weidman. Romero claimed an eye poke after the knee. Weidman in on the single but gave it up to land a head kick. Romero took Weidman down and got his back after Weidman got up. Romero with another takedown. Weidman escaped and Romero took him down again. Romero has his back on the ground. Romero’s round so 19-19.
Third round: Boyd kick by Weidman. Romero killed him with a flying knee that nailed Weidman in the left eye and and pounded on him and finished him. That’s not a good thing for UFC. Romero is strutting around the ring like he’s a foreign military soldier saluting the crowd. The crowd didn’t even boo him. They were just stunned. The two hugged. :24 The crowd was eerily quiet when this ended.
Romero said he wanted the belt. Joe Rogan said that Romero will be challenging for the title next. Michael Bisping said he wouldn’t face Romero. Bisping gave Romero the thumbs down and then flipped him off with both hands. Romero kept saying “I love you Mike, see you soon, boy.” Romero said you see now the real champion.
First round: Joanna with low kicks. Ole chants. Joanna with a combo. Both landing. Nice combo by Joanna. Karolina landed some punches. The Irish are singing to entertain themselves. Joanna with another combo. Joanna 10-9
Second round: Karloline pushed her against the fence and went for a takedown but didn’t get it. Joanna with a flurry. Karolina working for a takedown. Joanna has her against the fence and threw a knee. Front kick by Joanna. Spijnning backfist by Joanna. Joanna 20-18.
Third round: Joanna with a knee and punches. Joanna outlandig her. Arolian landed a right. The crowd is so quiet for this fight except a few chants having nothing to do with the fight. It’s like this is Raw from last Monday. Body kick by Karolina. Karolina with a floury. Joannan back and landed a body kick and knee. Elbow and punches by Joanna. Trading punches. Joanna 30-27. Some boos at the end. I can’t tell you how little the people care about this fight.
Fourth round: Joanna with a few kicks and they are back against the fence. Karolina with elbows. Spinning backfist by Karolina. Karolina hurt her bad with a right to the nose. Both are trading. Both trading some more. Karolina landed a big right. Karolina is landing big rights. Joanna took her down but Karolina back up. Joanna looking at the clock. Karolina with more punches from close range. Joanna landed aan elbow. Karolina landed a good right. Trading punches. Joanna seems recovered now. Backfist by Karolina. Joanna tried the same. Joanna with a combo. Both traded punches. Hard knee by Joanna. Joanna got good shots In late in the round. The crowd completely turned and gave both a huge ovation. Karolina’s round 39-37 Joanna.
Fifth round: Good combo by Joanna. Karolina with punches and Joanna with an elbow. Joanna using her kicks to keep Karolina at a distance by Karolina got in and landed a punch. Front kick by Joanna. Joanna landing more punches. Joanna with a left. Karolina back with punches. Joanna with solid punches now. The crowd came alive. Karolina with a spinning punch and Joanna back with punches. Joanna landed punches and elbows. Knee by Joanna. Body kick by Joanna. Joanna 49-46. After all that, the whole place is standing. The fourth round turned the crowd around.
Scores: All three had it 49-46 for Joanna.
Joanna was charming, said she wasn’t hurt in the fourth round. The crowd cheered Karolina a lot after the fight. Karolina said Joanna was the best in the world. She said she’s proud she gave a good fight and the crowd cheered big.
> Tyron Woodley (C, 16-3, 6-2 UFC) vs. Stephen Thompson (#2, 13-1, 8-1 UFC) UFC Welterweight Championship
First round: Body kick by Thonpson. Thompson threw a kick, Woodley countered with a right and took him down. Woodley with body shots. Woodley with a lot of short punches on the ground to smother him . He land hard body shots late, bloodied him with elbows and landed a hard shot at the horn. 10-9 Woodley, almost a 10-8.
Second round: Thompson landed some punches and Woodley tied him up. Thompson turned him around and then Woodley turned him back around. Spin kick to the body by Thompson. Left by Thompson. Right by Thompson. Thompson with punches. Thompson landing more. Woodley with a nice right. Body shot by Thompson. Another body shot by Thompson. Woodley with a nice right. Thompson’s round so 19-19 after two.
Third round: Side kick by Thompson. Woodley moved forward with punches. Woodley moved forward and landed again. Ole chants. Head kick by Woodley. Low kick by Thompson. Thompson moved in with punches. Good right by Thompson. Left by Woodley. Left by Thompson and landed more punches. Woodley moved in but didn’t connect. Thompson landed a few. Woodley with two nice rights late in the round. Close round. Thompson’s so 29-28 Thompson after three.
Fourth round: Thompson in with a few punches. Woodley dropped him with hard right. Woodley throwing punches. Woodley dropped him again with a right and throwing punches on the ground. Thompson is in trouble. Woodley is landing shot after shot. Knees by Woodley and punches. Woodley going for a guillotine. Thompson out of it but he’s hurt. Woodley went for a guillotine again and it’s tight. Thompson is surviving so far. Thompson punching back. The crowd went nuts seeing Thompson punch back. He popped out for the biggest pop so far this show. Wonderboy chants. Thompson landing big punches late. This place is now really alive. 10-8 but that comeback could keep it 10-9, but I’ve got 38-37 Woodley after four. This is going to be very interesting how it’s judged.
Fifth round: Jumping kick by Thompson. Body kick by Thompson. Low kick by Thompson. Loud Wonderboy chants. Right and a head kick by Thompson. Body kick by Thompson. Spin kick to the head by Thompson. Left and right by Thompson. Right by Thompson. Left and right by Thompson. Body kick by Woodley. Left by Thompson. Low kick by Thompson. Woodley landed a right. Body shot by Thompson. Left and right by Thompson. Thompson with a left. Two lefts by Thompson. Thompson with a good right. Thompson’s round, I’ve got it 47-47 all. This could go either way depending on a 10-8 in the first or fourth rounds.
Scores: Derek Cleary scored it 47-47, Doug Crosby scored it 47-47, Glenn Trowbridge 48-47 Woodley. That’s a screw-up, as that’s a majority draw but Woodley would still retain on the draw. Bruce Buffer later corrected himself a majority draw. The problem is Trowbridge looks to have given 3 rounds to Woodley and Thompson won three rounds and it came down to 10-8s in round one or four. Either way, Woodley retains on the draw.
> Eddie Alvarez (C, 28-4, 3-1 UFC) vs. Conor McGregor (C FW, 20-3, 8-1 UFC) UFC Lightweight Championship
This crowd is now totally electric. They’re booing the hell out of Alvarez. Not the number of Irish flags as Vegas but a totally pro-McGregor crowd. Alvarez is called The Underground King. I wonder if he knows Sami Zayn.
First round: McGregor landed and stumbled. Low kick by Alvarez. Body kick by McGregor. McGregor dropped him with a left and Alvarez back up. Head kick by Alvarez. The crowd is really loud. Alvarez shot for a takedown. McGregor with a body kick. Alvarez landed punches and then slipped. Head kick by McGregor. McGregor dropped him with a left . McGregor with punches on the ground. Now he’s dropping elbows on him. Alvarez back up. Loud Conor chants. Alvarez shot in and McGregor evaded and landed an elbow. McGregor with a left. Body kick by McGregor. Right by McGregor. Alvarez with body shots. Alvarez with a body kick. Alvarez landed a good left. Body kick by Alvarez. McGregor 10-8.
Second round: Big left by McGregor hurt him. Alvarez shot for a takedown and it was easily stuffed. McGregor put his arms behind his back and dared Alvarez a free shot. Alvarez didn’t do anything. Body kick by McGregor. Right and left by McGregor. Alvarez with a right. He missed a left and McGregor put him down with a left. Alvarez working for a takedown. Alvarez pushing hard and couldn’t get the takedown. Push kick by Alvarez. McGregor with a series of punches put Alvarez down and ref John McCarthy waved it off. McGregor is the first two division champion in UFC history. It was a left hook, a right, a left and another right that put Alvarez down. A great combo, all four shots landed hard and McCarthy waved it after two punches on the ground. 3:04
McGregor wanted his second belt. McGregor said they’re not on my level, you need size and reach to beat him. He kept saying he wants that second belt. He I’ve ridiculed everyone on the roster, and I’d like to apologize to absolutely nobody. The place erupted on that one. Then he had both belts. He made no big announcement or anything.
Even though nearly everyone made weight Friday morning, the stars of UFC 205 will take to the MSG stage at 6 PM Friday night to strip down and soak in the adulation from a fanbase that has been waiting for them for years.
One fight was scrapped from the PPV Saturday as Kelvin Gastelum didn’t bother to hit the scales, backing out of his fight against Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone on Twitter without letting NY state officials know.
Another fight was slightly changed as Thiago Alves missed the 155-pound mark by seven pounds, resulting in Jim Miller having to actually gain some weight in order to make the fight happen under state rules.
But the main draws made weight with no issues, meaning we’ll get to see whether Conor McGregor’s quest to become a two-division UFC champion will reach its apex, whether Chris Weidman can find redemption in his home state, whether Tyron Woodley can fend off the karate-powered attack of Stephen Thompson, and so much more.
– We talk about the experience of Josh’s book and some news about its release in Japan.
– We touched on the U.S. presidential election and the unique MMA ties that our president-elect has.
– We discussed the Jon Jones one-year suspension, what it means for him and the sport, and whether the time off could actually help him long-term for his career.
– Then, we look at our top storylines for UFC 205 which include whether Conor McGregor can do what he says he’s going to do, the whole aura around welterweight champion Tyron Woodley, the buzz factor that NYC can provide, Chris Weidman’s big opportunity, and lots more.
UFC 205 got off to a rollicking start Friday morning as several fighters missed weight, officially canceling one main card fight and nearly putting another in jeopardy.
Kelvin Gastelum, set to fight Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone on the PPV main card, didn’t bother even coming to the scale for the official Friday morning weigh-ins.
He tweeted that he wouldn’t be fighting Cerrone due to not being able to make the weight limit and that he will have to re-evaluate things in his life. He said everyone has bad days, but that he promised it wouldn’t happen again. Officials had no idea he wasn’t going to attempt to weigh in, causing some confusion at the end of the weigh-ins.
The problem with Gastelum’s statement is that this marks the third time he’s missed weight in his UFC career, one in which has struggled with making 170 pounds repeatedly. He won a season of TUF at 185 pounds and actually had to fight at that weight in a June 2015 bout against Nate Marquardt as a sort of punishment by the promotion.
Cerrone was set to fight Robbie Lawler at the event until the former champion had to pull out, citing needing more recovery time after his loss at the hands of Tyron Woodley. There will be no replacement opponent for the popular Cerrone who was said to be furious at the news. He was paid his show money.
UFC announced it will now be a five fight PPV card, likely meaning the extended 30 minute PPV window they originally got is now for naught.
Further down the card, Thiago Alves missed weight by more than 7 pounds (162.6) for his Fight Pass clash against Jim Miller. Due to NY state regulations, Miller had to be within seven pounds of Alves in order for the fight to go on, meaning he couldn’t weigh in at 155 pounds.
Miller hit his mark at 157.6, so the fight will go on if Alves doesn’t weight more than 173 pounds on Saturday.
Alves is a Mike Dolce client, but Dolce released a statement to Ariel Helwani during the weigh-ins saying that Alves and his team diverted from the plan and went with a non-scientific method to cut.
Here’s some advice for who to pick in your DraftKings lineup for Saturday’s UFC 205 event in New York City, New York, headlined by UFC Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez defending against Conor McGregor on pay-per-view.
Top Target: Joanna Jedrzejczyk ($9,300)
Joanna Jedrzejczyk is the biggest betting favorite on the UFC 205 card as she defends the UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship against Karolina Kowalkiewicz. She also has the highest salary of all the fighters on the card, but that still makes her our top target for your fantasy line-ups at UFC 205. Jedrzejczyk is the most polished striker, not only out of all womens fighters, but perhaps in the entire sport.
She racks up a lot of points with significant strikes, so that is where she will excel in getting fantasy players points. She is also a finisher, and if she finds an opening, there is no doubt she will be going for the kill. The biggest key for Kowalkiewicz is to get ahead early. Jedrzejczyk can start off slow, but she has shown to have a never-ending gas tank, and she gets much stronger the later the fight goes. Kowalkiewicz fights at a fast pace, but Jedrzejczyk can match it, and her counterstriking will slow Kowalkiewicz down.
A key to the standing battle is that Jedrzejczyk has a punishing jab, and her technique on the feet is unmatched. Jedrzejczyk also trained for this camp with American Top Team, which will be her new home, so she won’t have to adjust due to traveling from overseas. It shouldn’t affect her power or speed.
This is a bad match-up for Kowalkiewicz, but anyone going against Jedrzejczyk is going to be a bad match-up for the opponent, as Joanna is the best in the world at 115 pounds. I expect her to score a lot of points and to get a finish late, and she is definitely the top play on this fight card.
Value Target: Eddie Alvarez ($7,600)
Eddie Alvarez is the underdog as he defends the UFC Lightweight Championship against the biggest star in the sport, Conor McGregor, in the main event of UFC 205. McGregor is looking to make history in becoming the first fighter to hold titles in two weight classes at the same time, and Alvarez is looking to play the spoiler. Alvarez is going to be giving up some length and reach to McGregor, and that is going to come into play.
McGregor likes to keep his opponents on the outside where he can set up leg kicks, spinning kicks and set up his straight left hand. Alvarez fights better inside the pocket where he can start a brawl, so he is going to have to navigate himself inside that five inches of reach that McGregor has the advantage of. Alvarez has talked of how this is an easy fight, and I hope he truly doesn’t believe that, because he’s in for a rude awakening if he does. It’s easy to knock McGregor, but he may truly be the best fighter that Alvarez has fought, and that spans a lot of high-level territory. Alvarez is very quick on his feet and with his hands, and he has solid takedowns.
He may utilize a wrestling-based attack, and takedowns score a lot of fantasy points. He could end up getting into a brawl with McGregor on the feet, and both can take a lot of punishment and dish it out. We’ve never seen McGregor knocked out, nor have we Alvarez, but Alvarez has been in a lot of trouble. I expect to see McGregor use a strategy similar to the one Donald Cerrone had against Alvarez, and that would spell trouble for Alvarez.
However, this is a very winnable fight for Alvarez, and for fantasy reasons, his salary is very valuable. It really is a tough fight to pick, but if you’re looking for someone to use on your roster, Alvarez is a solid selection.
Target To Avoid: Miesha Tate ($9,100)
Miesha Tate returns to the Octagon for the first time since losing the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship to Amanda Nunes at UFC 200 in July. Tate fights an opponent she has some familiarity with in Raquel Pennington, who she coached on The Ultimate Fighter. When you look at this fight, from an outside perspective, this looks like a rebound fight for Tate. Pennington is only 8-5 in her career. However, don’t let that record fool you.
She has won three straight fights and four of her last five, and the improvement has been very clear. She also has a style that could give Tate a lot of trouble. Pennington has some solid striking, but she tends to fight without a clear gameplan. She’s only lost to top-level opponents, and Tate is a top-level opponent. Tate is better all around, but it remains to be seen if she is over losing the championship. She is also coming back sooner than she anticipated as she was expecting to return in December.
Tate will be best served to make this a battle on the mat as her wrestling and ground game is light years ahead of Pennington. Where Pennington could give Tate fits is inside the clinch. She makes good use of dirty boxing and her elbows, and she is good at finding openings. Tate is a big favorite when it comes to fantasy value, but this fight is a lot closer on the betting odds than their salaries show. I do expect Tate to win, but Pennington is going to make her work for it.
I don’t see Tate finishing Pennington, so that takes her value down a little. With Tate having the third-highest salary on the card, without the sure thing of her getting a finish, it’s tough to justify having her on your roster. I’m saying avoid her just because of her salary, but I do think she will win this fight, but it won’t be easy.
Underdog Target: Tyron Woodley ($7,400)
Tyron Woodley is making his first defense of the UFC Welterweight Championship as he defends against Stephen Thompson on Saturday night. If you look at the betting odds and the fantasy salaries for this fight, Woodley is clearly getting no respect as it seems everyone is expecting him to lose the championship. It wouldn’t be a surprise as Woodley’s only fight in 19 months was hist first-round knockout over Robbie Lawler to win the title.
In that same time frame, Thompson has won three fights, and he has won seven straight overall to earn his title opportunity. Woodley and Thompson have completely different styles, and it makes for an interesting match-up. Woodley is a strong wrestler with heavy hands, and Thompson employs a unique karate-style striking attack. Thompson is crafty on his feet and knows how to keep a distance, and Woodley fights badly from the outside. Woodley also has a questionable gas tank, while Thompson can go a full 25 minutes.
Everything being said favors Thompson, so why should Woodley be considered an underdog target? It is because of that knockout power. Thompson is very hard to hit, and we haven’t seen his chin tested yet, but if Woodley can land that right hand, it could be lights out. Woodley also will test the wrestling of Thompson, who has improved his takedown defense, but he hasn’t been put to the test in recent fights. Woodley is also strong in the clinch, but Thompson isn’t easy to keep there.
You have to have underdogs on your roster, and honestly, the pickings are slim on this card. Woodley is going to have a tough time getting a win, but he has that equalizing right hand. He’s the best underdog target bet.
Our Line-Ups
Ryan Frederick: Joanna Jedrzejczyk ($9,300), Stephen Thompson ($8,800), Conor McGregor ($8,600), Chris Weidman ($8,500), Jim Miller ($7,800), Jeremy Stephens ($7,000)
I have Joanna Jedrzejczyk on my roster for all of the reasons she is my top target, and I am confident that she will finish Karolina Kowalkiewicz. I have Eddie Alvarez and Tyron Woodley as targets above, but I have their opponents, Stephen Thompson and Conor McGregor, in my line-up. I just have more confidence in them getting the win and am not taking the risks and am going for the win. I have Chris Weidman, Jim Miller and Jeremy Stephens rounding out my roster.
Finally fighting in New York will give Weidman some added confidence, and he wants an impressive showing to get that title shot. He’s going to bring a fight to Yoel Romero. Miller gets Thiago Alves debuting at lightweight, and it is a tough fight. I need underdogs on my roster, and Miller has a good chance. Stephens is the best that is left with what I have, and if he can connect on Frankie Edgar, he can finish him. I’m hoping so for fantasy sake.
Paul Fontaine: Joanna Jedrzejczyk ($9,300), Donald Cerrone ($8,900), Chris Weidman ($8,500), Belal Muhammad ($8,300), Eddie Alvarez ($7,600), Tyron Woodley ($7,400)
My top pick is the strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk. I believe that she is far and away the best in her division and should handle her challenger with ease, either scoring a quick KO or an extended beatdown. Either is good for a lot of points. Donald Cerrone is next up for me. I see this fight going similar to the Joanna fight in the sense that Cerrone is very prolific on his feet. If it goes to the ground he has an underrated submission game. I think that age is finally going to catch up to Yoel Romero when he gets into the Octagon with former world champion Chris Weidman, allowing the All American to score a KO win.
I’m going with Belal Muhammad as one of my picks as I think he’s one of the better guys in the division and under a lot of people’s radar. His opponent, Luque, has shown to be vulnerable to submissions in the past and Muhammad should take advantage of that. My last two picks are the other two title holders on the card, Eddie Alvarez and Tyron Woodley. Alvarez hits harder, in my opinion, than anyone Conor McGregor has faced to date and the featherweight champion has shown in the past that he’ll eat a lot of punches. Woodley just needs to catch Thompson one time and I think he can do it. I’m glad I can get the two champions in under budget and really like my team here.
Peach Machine: Joanna Jedrzejczyk ($9,300), Frankie Edgar ($9,200), Miesha Tate ($9,100), Eddie Alvarez ($7,600), Tyron Woodley ($7,400), Kelvin Gastelum ($7,300)
I love Eddie in this match up. He’s too fast AND he can take a monster beatin’. T-Wood will simply outclass Thompson. He may be an awesome kick boxer, but he’s never wrestled a Mizzou Tiger. Joanna Champion is my current favorite fighter since Hendo retired. I just named my newest dog, Miesha, so I’m going with her. Gastelum could win this match with wrestling. I think he’ll decide to do that, since getting kneed in the mouth by Cerrone is bad for business. Frankie is gonna stomp Stephens, and he’d better, since he’s being screwed on title contention.
What promises to be the most purchased PPV of all-time is just a few days away, so it’s time for the stars of Saturday’s UFC 205 to keep the promotional flame going starting at 3 PM EST.
The promotion’s debut at Madison Square Garden has got a lot of attention locally with the hope that the best card the UFC has ever put on will catch fire with those deciding whether or not to hit ‘buy’.
Expected at today’s presser: UFC featherweight champion and eternally late Conor McGregor, UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez, UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley, his challenger Stephen Thompson, UFC strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk, her challenger Karolina Kowalkiewicz, and UFC president Dana White.
As always, McGregor press conference are not to be missed.
The PPV will feature six main card fights and an undercard featuring former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar, top lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, and more.
With the UFC just weeks away from what could be their biggest show of all time, the two combatants in the main event talk with the media Thursday afternoon to continue their hype.
UFC Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez and UFC Featherweight Champion Conor McGregor will be on the UFC 205 call, scheduled to kick off at 5 PM EST and available to stream below.
McGregor will look to become the promotion’s first two-division champion in gunning for Alvarez’s lightweight gold, a belt he won by dismantling Rafael dos Anjos earlier this year.
McGregor has yet to defend the featherweight gold he won by crushing Jose Aldo in their first clash, and if he wins the 155 pound crown, all bets are off on if he’ll continue to defend the 145 pound title.
The fight headlines a stacked show for the UFC’s debut in New York City’s Madison Square Garden, a show that features multiple title fights and plenty of well-known attractions.
The weekend is here and that means Josh Nason’s Punch-Out is back to help recap the week and look forward to the weekend. Helping Josh do the honors on the final day of September is friend of the show Danny Acosta of SiriusXM Rush!
With so much news happening this week, Josh and Danny were all over the board:
– They talk about the new celebrity owners of UFC, ranging from Tom Brady to Jimmy Kimmel to Tyler Perry and what they could mean for UFC buyrates
– The guys talk this week’s UFC 205 press conference and all that had to happen to bring Conor McGregor to the table
– The “media” questions come in full focus as does the state of the media in the sport today
– Why do fans hate Tyron Woodley so much anyway?
– They look back at Cyborg Justino’s easy victory last Saturday and the weird position UFC is in with her going forward
– They talk about Jose Aldo’s situation and whether he’ll fight in UFC again
– They go over UFC Portland: Catchweight, and the plight of John Lineker
– Plus Renan Barao, weight cutting, and tons more.
With the UFC 205 card essentially finalized, the main attractions on the show will meet the media and fans Tuesday afternoon at Madison Square Garden at a 6 PM EST press conference.
On Monday night, UFC announced that featherweight champion Conor McGregor will attempt to become the promotion’s first dual-division champion in company history when he faces current UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez in the main event.
The show will be the first MMA event in MSG and the first UFC event since 1995 in Buffalo. The sport had been banned there until finally being legalized this year after years of political battle.
Former middleweight champion Chris Weidman makes his return to action against Yoel Romero in what is basically a middleweight title shot eliminator, welterweight champion Tyron Woodley will look to make the first defense of his title against Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson, and strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk will face Karolina Kowalkiewicz in a battle of Polish-born fighters.
As if that wasn’t enough, the undercard features Frankie Edgar vs. Jeremy Stephens, Rashad Evans dropping to middleweight to face the returning Tim Kennedy, former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Miesha Tate, and more!
On the weigh-in special for tomorrow’s UFC Fight Night show from Hidalgo, TX, Tyron Woodley announced that he would be defending his welterweight title against Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson at UFC 205 on November 12th at Madison Square Garden.
Woodley won the title by knocking out former champion Robbie Lawler at UFC 201. He had been vocal about wanting to face Nate Diaz or Georges St-Pierre in his first title defense, but Dana White had been insistent that it would be against Thompson.
Thompson has won seven fights in a row and is the number one contender for the 170 lb crown.
Their fight is not expected to be the main event for the show, as rumors have Conor McGregor either defending his featherweight title or challenging for the lightweight title as the headliner.
UFC 205 will mark the company’s return to New York as mixed martial arts was regulated in the state earlier this year.
If a Cleveland sports radio host is to be believed, UFC’s November debut in New York City’s Madison Square Garden has its first big name fight: Robbie Lawler vs. Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone.
92.5 The Fan radio host Anthony Lima tweeted that Dana White told him during an interview that papers have been signed off for that fight between two of the sport’s most fan-friendly fighters.
Lawler (27-11) is coming off a July first round knockout loss to Tyron Woodley that saw Lawler lose the UFC welterweight title, a belt he had defended twice. That snapped a five-fight winning streak for the resurgent 34-year-old.
Cerrone (31-7-0-1) is having another career resurgence after moving up to 170 pounds earlier this year. In three fights thus far, he’s 3-0 with finishes in all three. He’s no stranger to filling up his fight calendar and a November tilt would be his fourth of the calendar year.
The 33-year-old Cerrone had competed at lightweight for years with the only two losses on his ledger being to former champion Rafael dos Anjos. Between those defeats, Cerrone had won eight in a row.
With Demian Maia and Stephen Thompson angling for welterweight title shots, plus the looming shadow of a returning Georges St. Pierre, UFC’s welterweight division continues to get interesting.
