Conor McGregor predicts first-round KO of 'blessed' Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205

“Mystic Mac” has made an official prediction for his UFC 205 main event bout with Eddie Alvarez, and like many of his other fights, Conor McGregor is hunting for the first-round knockout.

Just hours after their headlining bout, which will see featherweight champ McGregor (20-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) go after a second UFC title against lightweight kingpin Alvarez (28-4 MMA, 3-1 UFC), was confirmed for UFC 205, the pair came together for a special pre-fight news conference today at The Theater at Madison Square Garden.

It didn’t take long for the tension to rise. One of the first questions asked of McGregor was a request for his prediction for his showdown with Alvarez, and as per usual, he minced no words.

“I have nothing against him,” McGregor said. “I run New York. I run this whole (expletive). And ‘Mystic Mac’ predicts I’m going to KO you inside one round.

“He’s chinny – he has no chin,” he continued. “He gets cracked, he gets dropped. It’s happened throughout his career. He’s a weathered fighter. He’s on his way out. He’s very, very lucky to be in the position he’s in. One round it will take me to knock him out.”

UFC 205 takes place Nov. 12 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass, though the bout order hasn’t been finalized.

There was some doubt about whether McGregor and Alvarez would actually collide at UFC 205. The event marks a less than three-month turnaround for McGregor after he defeated Nate Diaz by majority decision at UFC 202 in August. The fight was a rematch of a March fight at UFC 196 that Diaz won by second-round submission.

Although the UFC 202 fight with Diaz was an epic back-and-forth that will hold up in “Fight of the Year” discussions, McGregor said he had no hesitation about the quick turnaround.

“That fight was five weeks ago,” McGregor said. “I came out of that fight fresher than I came in. Look at Nate’s face. Nate will never look the same. I came out brand new. I had a bruised foot.”

Coming out of his win over Diaz, it seemed McGregor had many options for his next fight, with Alvarez being one of them. “The Notorious” has always been big on making history, and fighting Alvarez marks his chance to become the first simultaneous two-division titleholder in UFC history. Alvarez called the brash Irishman an “easy fight,” but McGregor had a different perspective.

“You’re blessed,” McGregor said. “You’re blessed that I chose you. You’re blessed that I chose to whoop your ass next. Say it like it (expletive) is. … I’ve been whooping his style – that style, I’ve been whooping that style a long time. He’s a stalky, stuffed wrestler with an overhand. That’s it. I’ve been beating these guys up forever. One round you’re going to sleep. (Expletive) you and your coach.'”

McGregor has predicted first-round finishes in many of his UFC fights, and more often than not, it comes true. If it doesn’t happen, though, he said he would be ready to fight Alvarez in any fashion necessary to leave UFC 205 with two championship belts in his possession.

“He’s going to be shooting for his life, and it’s going to be a long 25 minutes in there,” McGregor said. “I can hit you from anywhere. That’s what’s going to happen to him.

“He’s going to be shooting, panicked, and I’m going to be hitting him from everywhere. Sooner or later he’s going to fall. One of those elbows, one of those shots is going to dig into that soft, sweet spot on the temple and that’s all she wrote. Two-weight world champion. UFC history. New York. The Irish are back.”

For more on UFC 205, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.