This weekend (November 12th) New York City hosts its first ever MMA fight. And it’s perhaps the biggest event the MMA world has ever seen.
What’s happening?
UFC 205 has arguably the most exciting fight card ever in the history of MMA. With not 1 but 3 championship belts on the line.
And the outcome of one of those fights could determine something very special: a champion who holds belts simultaneously in two weight classes. Something never before done.
And that fight is Conor McGregor vs. Eddie Alvarez. The current featherweight belt holder versus the current lightweight belt holder. Here's a video to get you in the mood for this fight:
Know nothing about MMA, the UFC or who Conor McGregor is?
What's the full line-up?
We already told you the line-up was the most exciting, and we aren’t joking. Here it is in full glory:
What are the REALLY interesting fights?
In all honesty they should ALL be superb fights. The UFC has chosen some really good match-ups, but here are some of them that we are looking forward to the most:
(Strawweight Champion) Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs.
Karolina Kowalkiewicz
Karolina Kowalkiewicz, the undefeated Polish fighter only began her MMA career in May 2012. Within one year she became the first ever KSW women's champion and held that crown until the UFC came knocking on her door.
The always calm and confident, Karolina Kowalkiewicz.
Since then her world has massively changed and during her recent arrival in New York she had this to say to her fans:
"4 years ago, when I fought my first professional fight, I wore shorts that I bought in a second-hand shop for a dollar," she wrote in the post. "Now my face is on an advert in the most expensive commercial space in the world, on Times Square in New York.
"Faith and hard work make miracles, dreams really come true."
It's almost a complete Hollywood story of how someone came from almost nothing, to be one of the top contenders in the world. Told along the way that she was "Too old" to pursue a career in MMA and that she'd never get anywhere in the sport.
Kowalkiewicz (white shorts) in one of her earlier MMA fights.
But she has her work cut out for her, as the undefeated Joanna Jędrzejczyk is possibly one of the best fighters any of the women's divisions have ever seen. An extremely dedicated professional with an obsession that could even rival McGregor's.
Joanna Jędrzejczyk with a nasty front kick to the face of Valérie Létourneau
She is the former European and World Muay Thai champion and some argue that her striking is amongst the best in the UFC, and we mean the WHOLE of the UFC both men and women's divisions.
Joanna Jedrzejczyk decimates Carla Esparza at UFC 185.
Fight stats provided by the @mmainfographics instagram account.
Khabib Nurmagomedov vs.
Michael Johnson
Nurmagomedov is one of the best undefeated fighters within the UFC and possibly one of the few fighters diehard fans would agree is one of the most dangerous men in the lightweight division. Having already beaten the former lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos and with an incredible 23 fight win streak, this fight is one to watch - as whoever wins the lightweight champion belt later on in the night - will surely face Khabib next.
His opponent Michael Johnson has had a patchy time recently. Winning his last fight against Dustin Poirier but being caught like a rabbit in headlights against the crowd favourite Nate Diaz. His other wins show him to be a powerful contender though, defeating Edson Barboza, Melvin Guillard and Joe Lauzon. Three extremely tough opponents.
It will be an interesting fight but one that most of us believe maybe a walkover for Khabib.
Kelvin Gastelum vs.
Donald Cerrone
Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone is one of the fans' favourite fighters. He never gives up. He's always entertaining. And he's willing to fight at the literal drop of a hat. Very few fighters are as active as Cerrone, and his recent move up to Welterweight from Lightweight has been fantastic. His last fight delivered one of the most memorable 4-hit combinations the UFC has ever seen, now being immortalised in an anime inspired gif.
"Cowboy" Cerrone's epic Dragon-Ball-Z animation
But Kevin Gastelum is no push-over having beaten some prime names since his entry into the UFC after winning The Ultimate Fighter 17. Cerrone has his work cut out but we're all hoping to see some of that Cowboy magic to shine through.
(Welterweight Champion) Tyron Woodley vs.
Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson
The second of the 3 champions fights pits the devastating one-punch power of Tyron Woodley against the outstanding precision of Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson. If you've never seen either of these guys fight, then this will definitely be one to watch. Wonderboy's background in point Karate and almost unbelievable 57 wins and 0 losses in his combined kickboxing career makes for a dangerous opponent, with a style that is almost unique within the sport.
Woodley defeating then Champion Robbie Lawler.
Woodley is simply a beast. Defeating one of the toughest fighters the UFC has ever seen, Robbie Lawler, in the first round in devastating fashion. Snatching the championship belt from him.
How will this one end? It's a really tough one to call all we can say is that we will be glued to every aspect of the fight.
Which brings us to the big one. McGregor vs. Alvarez...
(Lightweight Champion) Eddie Alvarez vs. (Featherweight Champion) Conor McGregor
In the last 12 months Conor McGregor has ripped the lightweight belt from the long-term incumbent Jose Aldo. Took on an opponent 2 weight divisions higher than himself, and lost. And came back this summer to avenge his loss against the same man, and did so, barely.
McGregor decimating Jose Aldo in 13 seconds of round 1 at UFC 196.
Eddie Alvarez was the lightweight Bellator Champion before taking the plunge into the UFC. He was a hot prospect and one people were excited to see. His first fight was against the dangerous Donald Cerrone. But he lost by decision. After regrouping he fought two more times before being given the chance to fight against the lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos, who seemed unstoppable up until this point. Alvarez claimed victory by Technical Knock-Out (TKO) when the referee stepped in to save RDA from the barrage of Alvarez's punches.
How do we see this one going down?
There are plenty of intelligent people in the MMA world who have broken down the strengths and weaknesses of each fighter. Many people still believe McGregor is a somewhat lucky fighter, who doesn't have much chance against Alvarez. We don't see it that way. The first loss to Diaz has made McGregor do something he's never had to do before: plan for a specific opponent.
If you want a breakdown of the fighters' styles in a more analytical way, we'd suggest you read this excellent article by Jack Slack for Vice's Fightland (You'll have to copy and paste the link I'm afraid.)
Also might be worth checking out the Cagerank predictions too:
How & when to watch it?
The event happens on Saturday night over in New York, but here in China it will be Sunday morning. Here are the times:
Early Pre-lims:
From 9:00am
Main card:
From 11:00am
Watch Online
You can watch a live stream online here in China (in either English or Chinese commentary) using pptv:
Or if you want to get in amongst the fans, we'd suggest going to one of these places here in Shanghai:
Cages
Address:
3/F, 428 Jiangning Lu
near Wuding Lu
上海市靜安區江寧路428號, 靜安體育中心3樓, 靠近武定路
Blarney Stone
As the Camel bar is closed for renovation at the moment, you can check out the Blarney Stone over on Yong Kang Lu.
Address:
77 Yong Kang Lu
Big Bamboo
Big Bamboo has 3 locations you can go to around Shanghai. So check out there website to find the best one:
Hope you enjoyed the article. Have a great rest of the week!
How d'ya like them apples? If you enjoyed the article - check out what else we've got:
Selfies might be hurting your self-esteem
Breakfast: Is it the most important meal?
Running the Shanghai Marathon without specific training