Conor McGregor Makes History at UFC 205
*Editor’s Note: This article was written by Frank Kucharski
Conor McGregor became the first fighter in UFC history to hold multiple belts in two different divisions by recording a second round knockout against former lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez in the main event of UFC 205.
McGregor made short work of his championship bout as he landed clean shots on Alvarez, knocking him to the ground on three separate occasions during the first round. McGregor wasted little time in round two getting after Alvarez. He began to taunt his opponent, putting his hands behind his back and baiting Alvarez to move forward so that he could land significant punches. The fight was stopped with less than two minutes to go in the round when McGregor landed a flurry of punches. Alvarez fell to the ground, causing referee John McCarthy to intervene.
McGregor is the first fighter in UFC history to attempt to hold multiple belts simultaneously. His rise to fame in the octagon comes from his ability to sell his fights. McGregor gets into the head of his opponents with his words at press conferences, with the intention of throwing them off their game in the waking months leading up to the fight.
McGregor wasn’t the only highlight for the UFC 205 card It was also the first time the UFC held an event in Madison Square Garden. There was a ban on MMA in the state of New York since 1997, but that ban was lifted earlier this year and the UFC took full advantage of the business opportunity-that New York presents. It was reported by MMA Fighting Newswire that UFC president Dana White said the card broke the gate record for ticket sales at MSG, and also surpassed the UFC’s pay-per-view record.
McGregor was disappointment with the organization following the fight because they only had one belt available. In his post fight interview he addressed his displeasure by asking where the second belt was multiple times. The UFC had to borrow welterweight champ Tyron Woodley’s belt to give to McGregor to end his rant during the interview. Conor made UFC history with a dominating performance, but instead of excitement, he seemed to feel the organization ruined his moment as the first fighter in history to stand in the octagon with a belt on each shoulder.
