Conor McGregor will face Eddie Alvarez for the UFC lightweight title in the headline fight at UFC 205 in New York City.
Perhaps more importantly, he will hold onto the UFC featherweight belt while he fights Alvarez for lightweight honours, allowing him the opportunity to become the organisation's first ever two-weight world champion, as he has constantly promised he would.
Philly fighter Alvarez will defend his strap against the Crumlin man in a historic UFC event at Madison Square Garden on November 12th.
IT'S GOING DOWN!! 🇮🇪 @TheNotoriousMMA challenges 🇺🇸 @EAlvarezFight for the lightweight title @TheGarden!! #UFC205 is OFFICIALLY 🔥 🔥 🔥 pic.twitter.com/vRtyi34QEd
— UFC (@ufc) September 27, 2016
Alvarez (28-4) won the belt with a stunning victory over Rafael dos Anjos, who was previously forced to withdraw from his own title defence vs McGregor with a broken foot.
The fight means that undefeated Khabib Nurmagomedov, who had agreed to fight Alvarez at either UFC 205 or UFC 206, misses out on his chance at the title, with Alvarez believed to have simply preferred a more lucrative fight with McGregor. José Aldo also misses out on a shot at redemption, and it now seems unlikely that he'll ever get it.
It promises to be some build up.
The UFC's first-ever card in NYC, following a 10-year battle to have the sport legalidsed in New York State, now features three championship fights: McGregor-Alvarez; Tyron Woodley vs. Stephen Thompson, and Joanna Jedrzejcyzk vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz.
