THE OUTLANDISH OUTFIT Conor McGregor sported at Thursday’s UFC 205 press conference was seemingly a nod to the late, great Joe Frazier.
The former heavyweight champion of the world was a man who knew a thing or two about making history at Madison Square Garden. Frazier headlined the first boxing card at the current version of the famous New York venue in March 1968, when he knocked out Buster Mathis. Three years later, Frazier was at the Garden again to become the first man to get the better of Muhammad Ali.
History echoes through the concourses that envelope the famous arena. The walls are adorned by images of legends like Frazier, Ali, Joe Louis, Henry Armstrong, Sugar Ray Robinson, Rocky Marciano and Roberto Duran. It would be premature to place Conor McGregor’s name among them now, but his bid to create his own piece of history at the world’s most famous arena takes place tonight.
The UFC have never had a simultaneous dual-weight champion before, but they’ve also never had anyone like McGregor. The organisation promised big things for its inaugural event in New York City, and while Ronda Rousey’s return in Las Vegas next month will generate plenty of media attention, only McGregor is capable of ensuring that the first mixed martial arts event at Madison Square Garden is a record-breaking one for gate receipts and — as looks likely to be the case — pay-per-view buys.
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AP / Press Association Images
AP / Press Association Images / Press Association Images
It’s been a long road for the UFC to get here, but the meeting of McGregor and lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez tonight looks set to do justice to an occasion of such sizeable magnitude. On this day 23 years ago, the UFC staged an event for the first time. Tonight they’ll make their debut in the Big Apple, eight months after the ban on professional mixed martial arts in the Empire State was abolished.
Taking over New York as they’ve managed to do in Las Vegas has been a much taller task for Conor McGregor’s fans in a city so vast. Nevertheless, they made sure that last night’s weigh-in at Madison Square Garden was quite a spectacle, with approximately 15,000 turning up to watch the fighters step on the scales.
Earlier in the day, McGregor officially weighed in at 155lbs for the first time since December 2012, when he defeated Ivan Buchinger to clinch the Cage Warriors lightweight title. Having already been crowned the organisation’s featherweight champion six months earlier, the win was enough to convince the UFC that he was worthy of a contract. McGregor earned just over a thousand euro for that fight in The Helix in Dublin. Less than four years later his financial rewards for replicating that two-title success with the UFC will reach eight figures.
According to John Kavanagh, McGregor’s coach, this weight class is most conducive to getting the very best out of his star pupil. The arduous cut down to featherweight [145lbs] can take its toll, and although he exacted revenge against Nate Diaz in August, McGregor just isn’t big enough to be a regular fixture in the welterweight division. As Kavanagh told us last week: “It’s like the Goldilocks porridge — a little bit too hot, a little bit too cold, and just right.”
Tom Hogan / INPHO
Tom Hogan / INPHO / INPHO
Despite contesting most of his bouts in the UFC at featherweight, McGregor will still have a size advantage tonight against the defending champion. The Dubliner is slightly taller — even though the UFC’s official profiles put both men at five-feet-nine-inches. McGregor also possesses a five-inch reach advantage, which is likely to be an important attribute in his bid to oust Alvarez from the top of the lightweight division.
At 4/5 [Ladbrokes], McGregor is a worthy favourite [Alvarez is 23/20]. However, the kind of complacency that hurt the Dubliner in his first fight against Nate Diaz could cost him again if he underestimates how serious a threat Alvarez can be. If McGregor is over-confident, Alvarez can capitalise — either by utilising his vastly superior wrestling or by catching McGregor with the kind of frantic flurry of strikes that ended the tenure of Rafael Dos Anjos as champion in July.
There are question marks over McGregor’s ability to last the pace over the course of a five-round fight, particularly against a guy like Alvarez who has demonstrated his ability to remain productive in the championship rounds against the likes of Michael Chandler and Pat Curran. However, as long as he’s patient and focused, McGregor can ensure that his energy reserves won’t be called upon.
The kind of teep kicks to the body that McGregor used in his UFC 189 win against Chad Mendes, while risky against an opponent with good takedowns like Alvarez, could be an important weapon here in allowing him to control the distance and keep the Philadelphia native out of shooting range.
The42
The42
McGregor will look to establish the range from the outset and pressurise Alvarez into backing up towards the fence. While Alvarez showed against Dos Anjos that he’s capable of countering effectively when on the back foot against a southpaw, the precision and power in McGregor’s left hand can steer him towards another UFC belt.
McGregor and Joe Frazier have more than mink coats and red polo neck jumpers in common. For much of his tenure as heavyweight champion, Frazier wasn’t widely recognised as the best in the world. Not until he defeated Ali was he accepted as the undisputed champion, and even then many of his detractors weren’t convinced.
With the exception of last March’s slip-up against Nate Diaz, McGregor has answered every question that has been posed of him. He needed just 13 seconds to overcome one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time to become the UFC’s featherweight champion, but there are many who still refuse to acknowledge him as a truly outstanding fighter.
However, should he be victorious tonight to become a title-holder in two UFC divisions concurrently — something that has never been done before — it’ll be an achievement that will seal his own place in the history of Madison Square Garden and among the greatest fighters ever to set foot in the octagon.
McGregor's precision and power can plant seeds of history in the Garden
– Paul Dollery reports from New York
THE OUTLANDISH OUTFIT Conor McGregor sported at Thursday’s UFC 205 press conference was seemingly a nod to the late, great Joe Frazier.
The former heavyweight champion of the world was a man who knew a thing or two about making history at Madison Square Garden. Frazier headlined the first boxing card at the current version of the famous New York venue in March 1968, when he knocked out Buster Mathis. Three years later, Frazier was at the Garden again to become the first man to get the better of Muhammad Ali.
History echoes through the concourses that envelope the famous arena. The walls are adorned by images of legends like Frazier, Ali, Joe Louis, Henry Armstrong, Sugar Ray Robinson, Rocky Marciano and Roberto Duran. It would be premature to place Conor McGregor’s name among them now, but his bid to create his own piece of history at the world’s most famous arena takes place tonight.
The UFC have never had a simultaneous dual-weight champion before, but they’ve also never had anyone like McGregor. The organisation promised big things for its inaugural event in New York City, and while Ronda Rousey’s return in Las Vegas next month will generate plenty of media attention, only McGregor is capable of ensuring that the first mixed martial arts event at Madison Square Garden is a record-breaking one for gate receipts and — as looks likely to be the case — pay-per-view buys.
It’s been a long road for the UFC to get here, but the meeting of McGregor and lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez tonight looks set to do justice to an occasion of such sizeable magnitude. On this day 23 years ago, the UFC staged an event for the first time. Tonight they’ll make their debut in the Big Apple, eight months after the ban on professional mixed martial arts in the Empire State was abolished.
Taking over New York as they’ve managed to do in Las Vegas has been a much taller task for Conor McGregor’s fans in a city so vast. Nevertheless, they made sure that last night’s weigh-in at Madison Square Garden was quite a spectacle, with approximately 15,000 turning up to watch the fighters step on the scales.
Earlier in the day, McGregor officially weighed in at 155lbs for the first time since December 2012, when he defeated Ivan Buchinger to clinch the Cage Warriors lightweight title. Having already been crowned the organisation’s featherweight champion six months earlier, the win was enough to convince the UFC that he was worthy of a contract. McGregor earned just over a thousand euro for that fight in The Helix in Dublin. Less than four years later his financial rewards for replicating that two-title success with the UFC will reach eight figures.
According to John Kavanagh, McGregor’s coach, this weight class is most conducive to getting the very best out of his star pupil. The arduous cut down to featherweight [145lbs] can take its toll, and although he exacted revenge against Nate Diaz in August, McGregor just isn’t big enough to be a regular fixture in the welterweight division. As Kavanagh told us last week: “It’s like the Goldilocks porridge — a little bit too hot, a little bit too cold, and just right.”
Despite contesting most of his bouts in the UFC at featherweight, McGregor will still have a size advantage tonight against the defending champion. The Dubliner is slightly taller — even though the UFC’s official profiles put both men at five-feet-nine-inches. McGregor also possesses a five-inch reach advantage, which is likely to be an important attribute in his bid to oust Alvarez from the top of the lightweight division.
At 4/5 [Ladbrokes], McGregor is a worthy favourite [Alvarez is 23/20]. However, the kind of complacency that hurt the Dubliner in his first fight against Nate Diaz could cost him again if he underestimates how serious a threat Alvarez can be. If McGregor is over-confident, Alvarez can capitalise — either by utilising his vastly superior wrestling or by catching McGregor with the kind of frantic flurry of strikes that ended the tenure of Rafael Dos Anjos as champion in July.
There are question marks over McGregor’s ability to last the pace over the course of a five-round fight, particularly against a guy like Alvarez who has demonstrated his ability to remain productive in the championship rounds against the likes of Michael Chandler and Pat Curran. However, as long as he’s patient and focused, McGregor can ensure that his energy reserves won’t be called upon.
The kind of teep kicks to the body that McGregor used in his UFC 189 win against Chad Mendes, while risky against an opponent with good takedowns like Alvarez, could be an important weapon here in allowing him to control the distance and keep the Philadelphia native out of shooting range.
McGregor will look to establish the range from the outset and pressurise Alvarez into backing up towards the fence. While Alvarez showed against Dos Anjos that he’s capable of countering effectively when on the back foot against a southpaw, the precision and power in McGregor’s left hand can steer him towards another UFC belt.
McGregor and Joe Frazier have more than mink coats and red polo neck jumpers in common. For much of his tenure as heavyweight champion, Frazier wasn’t widely recognised as the best in the world. Not until he defeated Ali was he accepted as the undisputed champion, and even then many of his detractors weren’t convinced.
With the exception of last March’s slip-up against Nate Diaz, McGregor has answered every question that has been posed of him. He needed just 13 seconds to overcome one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time to become the UFC’s featherweight champion, but there are many who still refuse to acknowledge him as a truly outstanding fighter.
However, should he be victorious tonight to become a title-holder in two UFC divisions concurrently — something that has never been done before — it’ll be an achievement that will seal his own place in the history of Madison Square Garden and among the greatest fighters ever to set foot in the octagon.
Verdict: McGregor via (T)KO in the second round.
All the info you need to watch Conor McGregor’s lightweight title fight this weekend
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