UFC 205 goes down this Saturday! For the first time, the UFC will head to New York. Equipped with three UFC 205 title fights, the event is stacked. Also be sure to check out the prelims which feature Frankie Edgar vs Jeremy Stephens and Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Michael Johnson. Here is your guide to this saturday’s UFC 205 title fights
3 UFC 205 Title Fights:
Eddie Alvarez vs Conor McGregor
In the main event, we have a battle of champions. Featherweight kingpin Conor McGregor will challenge lightweight titleholder Eddie Alvarez for his 155 lb belt. If McGregor wins, he will become the first fighter in UFC history to hold two belts simultaneously – quite a feat for someone who joined the promotion just three years ago. However, Alvarez presents quite a formidable test, and has his own destiny to forge.
McGregor smashed through the 145 lb division like a wrecking ball. Time and time again, McGregor out-matched his opponents on the feet and obliterated them with precise striking. While some argue he was given favorable match ups, he strung wins together even in the face of adversity. Eventually, a shot at the featherweight title was earned. One 13-second KO of Jose Aldo later, and he’s now the biggest star of the sport. However, it didn’t take long for McGregor to set his eyes on bigger goals. The original plan was to take on lightweight champ Rafael dos Anjos. Of course, we know how that whole sequence played out. Now, we’re finally back where we were in March with Conor challenging for the lightweight strap, but against a different champion.
Alvarez is one of the most respected fighters in the game. He has fought in many different countries against many different opponents in many different organizations. While he spent much of his career a journeyman, he is determined to end as one of the best lightweights of all time. Alvarez has drastically fine-tuned his style and approach over recent years. He’s no longer the wild brawler that erupted the arenas in Japan. It’s still a part of him, but now he’s much more focused, calculated, and determined to achieve victory. Alvarez is arguably in the prime of his life, and very well equipped to pull off a minor upset.
Check back later this week for technical breakdowns for some of these UFC 205 title fights
Tyron Woodley vs Stephen Thompson
Newly crowned champ Tyron Woodley will defend his belt against surging karate-fighter Stephen Thompson. The champion is fighting for the respect he feels he deserves while the challenger is following the path many predict he would be on. It’s peculiar match up, and definitely one you can’t miss on the UFC 205 main card.
Fans were hesitant to give Woodley his credit heading into his title fight against Robbie Lawler. Woodley was coming off a lay-off, and many felt he hadn’t accomplished enough to be there. However, one blistering overhand right was all it took to prove those people wrong. Woodley is now the undisputed champ looking for his first title defense. That said, he’s still struggling to get much fan support. This is largely due to Woodley calling out Nick Diaz and Georges St-Pierre rather than acknowledging top-contender Stephen Thompson. Nevertheless, the fight was made, and Woodley will look to land another big bomb on another jawline.
On the other side, we have the elegant Stephen Thompson looking to capture UFC gold. Most recently, Thompson shut down former top contender Rory MacDonald in a 5-round fight. It wasn’t a high-output, aggressive contest, but rather a technical chess-match where Thompson outscored MacDonald. Prior to that, Thompson had impressive finishes over Johny Hendricks and Jake Ellenberger. Thompson hasn’t had much problem getting notoriety because of his entertaining fighting style. But can he avoid Woodley’s powerful takedowns, and is he quick enough to dodge the right hand?
Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs Karolina Kowalkiewicz
Last, but certainly not least, we have the battle of Polish strawweights for the 115 lb women’s belt. Current champ, Jedrzejczyk, has been subtly defending her belt for quite some time. Known for her vicious muay thai skills, Joanna holds a significant striking advantage against virtually her entire division. This has forced fighters to try and impose size, strength, and grappling pressure against her. Joanna’s last two title defenses saw Joanna look rather human as she was dragged into deep waters. However, in doing so we saw that Joanna has the heart of a champion, and some ridiculous cardio. Now Joanna has moved to Florida to train at American Top Team, so I expect her wrestling and cardio will be even better. With that said, the possibility of this move being detrimental is very real.
Standing across from her in this UFC 205 title fight will be a fellow Polish fighter. These two met several years ago as amateurs, and Jedrzejczyk won via rear-naked choke. Even though Karolina is undefeated as a professional, I question whether she will be Joanna’s stiffest test. Both Valeria Letourneau and Claudia Gadelha had size and strength advantages over her, but Karolina seemingly does not. That said, Karolina is well rounded and very quick with her hands. She has the skills to make this a dog fight.
These are the 3 UFC 205 title fights that we’ll be getting this Saturday. Stay tuned for more coverage!
