All eyes on Conor McGregor as UFC makes its return to New York

Fans at Madison Square Garden for UFC 205 will walk through the doors expecting the best that MMA can offer, and on paper, at least, they should get it

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For the first time in more than 21 years, the UFC is set to promote an event in New York. On Saturday evening at the hallowed Madison Square Garden, the UFC makes its return with a stellar card comprised of three stylistically pleasing championship fights, including the next chapter of Conor McGregor’s career, and a score of noteworthy supporting clashes.

Related: The cheapening of Conor McGregor's once-clever act | Les Carpenter

The UFC last held an event in the state on 8 September 1995, in Buffalo, which marked the heralding of the modern day mixed martial artist. Marco Ruas’s influence in MMA would be felt for many years to come, and it was at UFC 7 when observers like early UFC executive Campbell McLaren first witnessed the effective beauty of a fighter combining various martial arts disciplines in a seamless way.

“It was the first time we saw anyone use three different things,” McLaren said.

Two decades later, MMA watchers take this for granted. All fighters are supposed to know all things, to varying degrees, obviously, but the formula was patented long ago. Fans attending UFC 205 at MSG will yield the highest gate in the organization’s history, already surpassing the previous record for an event at Madison Square Garden at $13.5m. They’ll walk through the doors expecting the best that MMA can offer, and on paper at least they should get it.

The evening’s main event pits McGregor, the sport’s biggest attraction, against one of its toughest competitors, Philadelphia’s Eddie Alvarez, in a contest for the lightweight title. The historical implication has been played up as particularly meaningful, and if McGregor manages to wrest control of the belt he will be the first fighter in the history of the UFC to hold two titles simultaneously.

Considering he’s yet to defend the belt he currently possesses at 145lbs, the concept seems more to do with McGregor’s ego than any measure of his true greatness. Still, it would be an unparalleled event and McGregor, the 28-year-old Irish star who has taken combat sports by storm in recent years, has been unrelenting in his pursuit of the chance.

The matchup looks to fit well with McGregor’s game.

“When you’re talking about someone with the precision I have, I’m going to hit him and he’s going to fall,” McGregor said Thursday before predicting a first round finish.

McGregor’s left hand has been a tremendous weapon in each of his nine UFC fights. His fluidity and economy of motion always serve him well, and he will need to perform at his peak to handle the hard-charging Alvarez, who stopped Rafael dos Anjos in July to capture the 155lb belt.

Alvarez is adept at boxing, moves straight ahead and has long been an underrated wrestler. He spoke about taking away McGregor’s left side, and if he can do that he believes the Irish fighter is lacking in offensive weapons.

“I know what I’m capable of and I can get it done in any manner,” Alvarez said. “Any manner. If he begins to even think about wrestling, his defense is atrocious. He has good striking but his defense is terrible, terrible – might be the worst in the division.”

Like the city that produced him, Alvarez can be a rough around the edges. McGregor is correct in that the lightweight champion is hittable, but Alvarez takes as good a shot as anyone has in the lighter weight classes, suffering one stoppage loss in 32 professional fights (that contest occurred at 170lbs against a much larger man).

Alvarez has needed to walk through fire to find victory, and that’s a dangerous game against McGregor (20-3).

In the welterweight division, 34-year-old St. Louis fighter Tyron Woodley (16-3) defends the title for the first time taking on South Carolina’s Stephen Thompson (13-1). This is a true contrast of styles. Woodley wrestled his entire life before stepping into MMA full-time in 2009. The powerful champion has become a much better striker during his seven year career, and showed his ability in July when he knocked out Robbie Lawler to claim the strap. His is a straight ahead boxing style predicated on quick busts that close distance between himself and his prey.

“I’ve never punched anybody as hard as I can before. Ever,” Woodley said. “I don’t think I do that consciously. But this fight, you know, I’m going to try and hit him as hard as I can and see what happens.”

That may be easier said than done against Thompson, who will have height and reach advantages over Woodley and is a master of point karate fighting. Since joining the UFC in 2012, Thompson, 33, has pieced together an 8-1 record, most recently scoring a unanimous five round decision over Rory MacDonald to earn the title shot.

“He’s definitely got some one-hitter quitter power, as you saw against Robbie Lawler,” Thompson said. “It took one shot. Obviously I want to stay away from that right hand. He’s not only a good striker, he’s obviously a good wrestler. When I go out there I have to be on my P’s and Q’s. Not only can he hit you with a right hand, but he can take you down as well. [I just need to focus on] keeping my good footwork, always moving, making it difficult for him to beat on my legs.

If Thompson manages to control distance and handle himself accordingly in grappling exchanges, he has a strong chance to upend the new champion, which is why odds makers peg him as a 2-1 favorite. This is nothing new for Woodley, who despite a strong resume has been listed as the underdog in five of his last six fights.

The UFC hasn’t promoted three title fights on a card since the ill-fated night the promotion debuted in Nevada in September 2001. But in an effort to give New Yorkers a memorable event, the UFC has decided it was appropriate to do so again.

A strawweight contest between Polish fighters Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Karolina Kowalkiewicz should be an all-action affair. The defending champion, Jedrzejczyk (12-0), seeks the fourth defense of her belt. She has been an excellent champion, utilizing a relentless pace and clean kickboxing to handle challengers at 115lbs. In July, the 29-year-old rallied to overcome the strong grappling of Brazilian Claudia Gadelha. Most likely she won’t need to worry much about Kowalkiewicz attempting to fight on the floor.

An excellent kickboxer in her own right, the 31-year-old challenger, who is unbeaten in 10 MMA contests, is more than competent to compete with her countrywoman. Jedrzejczyk, whom UFC president Dana White has described as “nasty” and a “gangster” is a strong favorite to retain her title.

“Polish ladies rule the world,” Jedrzejczyk said.

The depth of UFC 205 was a major selling point as 12 November approached, however two scratches have diminished that some. Earlier this week, former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans was pulled from a fight with Tim Kennedy due to medical issues with the New York State Athletic Commission. Their bout has been rescheduled for Toronto at UFC 206. And on Friday, Kelvin Gastelum didn’t even step on the scale to try and make weight for a welterweight contest against Donald Cerrone. That fight has been scrapped entirely, and the UFC said Gastelum, who has a history of weight cutting mishaps, will no longer be allowed to fight at 170lbs.

Despite the bad news, several intriguing undercard bouts remain. A middleweight title eliminator between former champion Chris Weidman and Cuban powerhouse Yoel Romero is especially good. Weidman, a native New Yorker, will look to rebound since losing his first pro fight and the title to Luke Rockhold last December.

New Jersey’s Frankie Edgar takes on Jeremy Stephens in a strong featherweight contest. And at 155lbs potential title contender Khabib Nurmagomedov fights Michael Johnson.

“I wanted to bring the best card possible,” White said of UFC’s debut in New York City.

A supporter of President-elect Donald Trump, White, who addressed the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, told TMZ that prior the election Trump said if won the presidency he would attend the fights. Trump has long been a supporter of MMA, hosting events at his various casino properties in Atlantic City and aligning with a promotion, Affliction, in 2008.

On Tuesday night, White attended the Republican’s victory celebration following an invitation from Trump’s family.

“No pressure to come,” White said of UFC 205, “but it wouldn’t suck of he came.”

Either way, thousands of New Yorkers will be in attendance at Madison Square Garden to witness a UFC that was 20 years in the making.