UFC 205 catapulted itself in the annals of MMA history when it not only became the first UFC event at the hallowed Madison Square Garden in New York, but also by virture of the conveyor belt of great fights that it boasts of.
Will Conor McGregor create history and become the first UFC Fighter to hold 2 Championship belts simultaneously? Or will the Underground King play spoil sport as he has promised time and again like he would?
Will Tyron Woodley manage to defend his UFC Welterweight Title in his first defence, or will the fan favourite Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson give the audience more reason to cheer? Joanna Jedrzejczyk also defends her UFC Strawweight Women’s Title against fellow Polish and undefeated fighter Karolina Kowalkiewicz, and one of them is sure to eat the first loss of their professional MMA career today.
How will Chris Weidman – who is the sole big name NY native on the card – fare against fellow contender Yoel Romero, as he looks to chart his redemption after losing the UFC Middleweight Title to Luke Rockhold and taking time off to undergo surgery?
What about Miesha Tate then, who would be wanting to bounce back from the brutal loss handed to her by Amanda Nunes in an Title winning effort at UFC 200? She wouldn’t have it all her way with (#8) Raquel Pennington though, who would have every intention of climbing up that rankings ladder herself.
Khabib Nurmagomedov would be looking to consolidate claims that he deserves a Title shot with a strong showing against fellow top Lightweight contender Michael Johnson and Frankie Edgar should put on a potential fight of the night against hard-hitting Jeremy Stephens.
Follow all the results and live updates here, as we cover all the fights, right from the Early Prelims.
To borrow a phrase from Robin Black, enjoy the hostilities ladies and gentlemen.
Women’s Bantamweight Fight: (#9) Liz Carmouche vs (#14) Katlyn Chookagian
The first two rounds are pretty easily won by Carmouche, who control Chookagian on the ground after securing takedowns almost at will, but there is a surprise lurking in the third! Chookagian lands a head kick and rocks Carmouche badly.
Before she can swarm and finish though, Carmouche shoots for her life and manages to hold on. Great round 3 for Chookagian, but Carmouche should have this 2-1.
Result: Liz Carmouche def. Katlyn Chookagian by SD (28-29,29-28,29-28)
Men’s Lightweight Fight: Jim Miller vs Thiago Alves
Story of the fight: Just when Thiago Alves seems to be getting the edge on the feet, Jim Miller times a takedown beautifully and take it to the ground. They scramble as Miller looks to secure a submission, but Alves makes it back to his feet every time.
And just when it looks like he gets an edge in striking, Miller takes him down again. You get the point.
Result: Jim Miller def. Thiago Alves by UD (30,27,29,28,29-28)
Men’s Welterweight Fight: Vicente Luque vs Belal Muhammad
Wow. That was quick. Luque caught Muhammad with a clean counter left hook 1 minute into the fight, and that’s literally all she wrote. Luque by brutal knockout. Wow.
Result: Luque def. Muhammad by KO in 1:19 of Round 1
Men’s Middleweight Fight: (#14) Rafael Natal vs Tim Boetsch
Tim Boetsch stalks Natal patiently for almost 4 minutes, gets him backed up against the cage, and lets that club of a right hand fly. Natal goes down, and Boetsch finishes him with 2 clean strikes on the ground. Another quick finish.
Result: Tim Boetsch def. Rafael Natal by TKO in 3:22 of Round 1
Men’s Lightweight Fight: (#1) Khabib Nurmagomedov vs (#6) Michael Johnson
Johnson is throwning with abandon in round 1, and he rocks Khabib on the feet. Khabib wobbles and shoots. We all know what happens when Khabib shoots. He gets the takedown and starts mauling Johnson. The clock to Round 1 runs out with Johnson clinging on to dear life.
They come out in Round 2 with Johnson looking a little more weary, and Khabib takes him down and mauls him. Again. How is Johnson even hanging on here? So much heart. Round 2 goes much the same way Round 1 ended, with Khabib absolutely battering Johnson on the ground. But again, Johnson is saved by the bell.
Round 3. Same story. Khabib takes Johnson down and this time, he gets him in a kimura and cranks his arm grotesquely. Johnson submits verbally. Khabib shows him massive respect after the fight, and justifiably so. What a display of grit and heart by Johnson, but Khabib – what an absolute MASTER he is on the ground.
Result: Khabib Nurmagomedov def. Michael Johnson by submission in Round 3
Men’s Featherweight Fight: (#2) Frankie Edgar vs (#7) Jeremy Stephens
Edgar starts off with amazing footwork, which makes it hard for a pot-shotter like Stephens to hit him clean. He shoots for takedowns but Stephens stuffs him first up. Edgar still displays the edge on the feet though, being elusive and quick.
Edgar does manage to secure a couple of takedowns in Round 1 but Stephens gets right back up to his feet. Edgar probably edges Round 1 because of that. Round 2 starts off the same way pretty much, but Stephens displays more intent. OH! He nails Frankie with a headkick and send him down.
Edgar, being one of the toughest fighters ever, somehow manages to keep his elusive footwork going – enough to buy himself time and avoid the finishing shots by Stephens. Stephens is going at it, trying to put away a wobbly Edgar but he can’t connect enough and over-commits.
Edgar takes him down and locks on an guillotine! Stephens fights out of it. What back and forth action here! Edgar displaying the heart that has established him as one of the bonafide legends of the sport and coming back from the dead yet again.
Round 3 starts with Edgar now completely recovered, as he puts Stephens down on his backside again with an impeccably timed take down. He tries to go for the back and lock hin a RNC, but Stephens stays in it. They get back to their feet and see the round out, trading shots. What a fight, but Frankie Edgar has this in the bag.
Decision: Frankie Edgar def. Jeremy Stephens by UD
Women’s Bantamweight Fight: (#1) Miesha Tate vs (#8) Raquel Pennington
After an explosive nights of fights, this one was the foil. In what was a scrappy affair, replete with both fighters grinding the other against the cage, neither willing to yield to the other. Surprisingly, Pennington is not averse in taking it to the ground with Tate, and is even getting the better of her there.
After 3 rounds of slightly draggy action, Pennington has probably ground out a victory.
Decision: Raquel Pennington def. Miesha Tate (30-27,30-27,29-28)
But wait! Miesha Tate announces her retirement after the fight! Wow. That was left field.
Men’s Middleweight Fight: (#2) Chris Weidman vs (#4) Yoel Romero
First round, Weidman establishes range with his kicks and seems to be more the more active fighter as he shoots for and even gets a couple of takedowns. Wow, that’s some accomplishment, considering that Romero is an olympic silver medalist in freestyle wrestling. First round to Weidman.
Second Round starts the same way, but Romero gets Weidman down with a great leg trip. He starts pounding him out, but the clock runs down. That’s one apiece here.
Third round starts, and OH MY GOD. Romero NAILS Weidman with a flying knee when he shoots for a takedown. Weidman’s skull opens up and he starts bleeding profusely as Romero lands at least 5-6 unnecessary shots before Mario Yamasaki can stop the fight.
WHAT.A.BRUTALITY!
Result: Yoel Romero def. Chris Weidman by TKO in Round 3
Women’s Strawweight Title Fight: (C)Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs (#2) Karolina Kowalkiewicz
The 1st Round encapsulates what JJ is all about; wicked combinations that she seems to reel off effortlessly, appended with a wicked kick. Karolina tries to close the distance and has some success with landing a shot or two, but in that time, Joanna lands at least 5 or 6 shots.
Joanna’s movement has been great, and she’s not averse to get into the clinch either. Round 1 to Joanna. Easy.
Round 2 starts and Joanna is still relentless in her attack. This time, she’s kicking Karolina’s legs straight to hell, causing her to visibly slow down. That only plays into Joanna’s gameplan to corner her onto the cage and tee off.
Karolina, however, hangs in there by trying to take her down. That only buys time as the Champion showcases her immense takedown defense before going to work with those combinations again. Round 2 to Joanna by a much larger margin.
Round 3 is pretty much a repetition of the previous round, with the Champion imposing her gameplan on the challenger. It has become apparent by now the skill differential between the two. So much so that Joe Rogan is comparing JJ to the likes of Anderson Silva and Demetrious Johnson.
Remind me why I love MMA. Just when it look like Joanna is coasting to victory, Karolina rocks the champion with an overhand right. Out of nowhere. JJ stumbles backwards as Karolina pours on the punches to try and finish. Joanna however, toughs it out and takes it to the ground briefly so that she can regain her footing.
Once they get back up to the feet, they slug it out till the bell rings.
Round 5 and both fighters come out all guns blazing. Joanna obviously has more output, but what incredible, astounding toughness by Karolina to eat close to 80 leg kicks and many,many more punches and STILL walk forward and give the champion the fight of her life.
Trust me. I’m calling this right now. It would take AN INCREDIBLE fight to top this as the fight of the night. And it’s probably also a contender for the Fight of the Year. That being said, Joanna takes this fight.
Result: Joanna Jedrzejczyk def. Karolina Kowalkiewicz by UD (49-46,49-46,49-46)
Men’s Welterweight Title Fight: (C) Tyron Woodley vs (#2) Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson
Round 1 kicks off with both fighters tentative at first, and Wonderboy backing Woodley against the cage. However, Woodley catches a kick early and takes Wonderboy down. Ground and pound is the name of the game as Woodley opens up a nasty cut on Wonderboy’s nose. Round 1 to Woodley.
Round 2 and 3 went the way of Wonderboy as he stands at range and intercepts Woodley with those lethal punches and kicks. Tyron Woodley caught Wonderboy with a blitz of punches that ended up in a takedown and a clinch. Wonderboy showed massive resilience in withstanding Tyron Woodley’s chokehold by fighting out of it. The round finishes with the two fighters trading punches.
Round 5 was a round of attrition with Wonderboy coming out on top as he got the majority of the offense in. Tyron Woodley attempted to go in with some heavy hands but couldn’t connect as Wonderboy just about edged it.
A controversial announcement by Bruce Buffer saw the fight being announced as a split decision victory for the champion Tyron Woodley. The announcement was later corrected to it being a split decision draw instead, as two out of three judges scored it as such.
Result: Tyron Woodley retains by the match being a draw
Men’s Lightweight Title Fight: (C) Eddie Alvarez vs (C-FTW) Conor McGregor
This is it. If you can’t believe it, the night is just about to get bigger. Conor McGregor is out to face Eddie Alvarez in a history making effort. The crowd is pumped, we are pumped, lets go!
Round 1: Conor McGregor drops Eddie Alvarez twice. Eddie Alvarez has nothing on him. He shoots for a takedown but McGregor stuffs it easily. McGregor stalks him and keeps landing that left. It’s a matter of time.
Round 2: McGregor has grown in confidence. He showboats by holding his hands behind his back to goad Eddie into making a false move. It works as Alvarez rushes in and McGregor weaves away and lands a CRAZY 4 punch combination to lay Eddie OUT!
What a fighter. Eddie had nothing for him. Absolutely nothing. What an unbelievable boxing combination to finish the fight. And just like that, Conor McGregor- 2 weight World Champion.
Mystic Mac called the fight to end in Round 2. And he finished it in Round 2. What a man. We are witnessing history, ladies and gentlemen.
Result: Conor McGregor def. Eddie Alvarez via KO in Round 2
