Eddie Alvarez and Conor McGregor will headline the biggest card in UFC history on Saturday evening, when a blockbuster UFC 205 lineup makes its way to New York City.
Madison Square Garden will bear witness to a pay-per-view schedule so jam-packed with elite fighting talent that the aforementioned duo's lightweight championship showdown is merely the icing on the cake of the event.
Also in action, fans will see welterweight champion Tyron Woodley defend his belt against Stephen Thompson, while women's strawweight titleholder Joanna Jedrzejczyk will defend her crown against Karolina Kowalkiewicz.
Alvarez's wrestling background and heavy-handed approach promises to throw a spanner in the works for McGregor, making the move up from featherweight, although The Notorious' movement will be a major variable.
Read on for a full preview of the UFC 205 card, information on what time the fights are expected to start, odds and a prediction for the main event.
| Main Card | 10 p.m. ET (3 a.m. GMT) |
| UFC Lightweight Championship | Eddie Alvarez vs. Conor McGregor |
| UFC Welterweight Championship | Tyron Woodley vs. Stephen Thompson |
| UFC Women's Strawweight Championship | Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz |
| Chris Weidman vs. Yoel Romero | |
| Miesha Tate vs. Raquel Pennington | |
| Preliminary Card | 8 p.m. ET (1 a.m. GMT) |
| Frankie Edgar vs. Jeremy Stephens | |
| Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Michael Johnson | |
| Rafael Natal vs. Tim Boetsch | |
| Vicente Luque vs. Belal Muhammad | |
| Early Preliminary Card | 6:30 p.m. ET (11:30 p.m. GMT) |
| Jim Miller vs. Thiago Alves | |
| Liz Carmouche vs. Katlyn Chookagian |
The Independent (all start times are approximate)
| Winner | Odds |
| Eddie Alvarez | +120 (6-5) |
| Conor McGregor | -140 (71-100) |
Odds Shark
All odds come courtesy of Odds Shark and Oddschecker.
Preview
The UFC's maiden card in New York City is packed to the rafters with quality fights, and audiences will want to tune into the action long before the main event if they're to make the most of the evening's entertainment.
Alvarez (28-4) may draw a home crowd due to his Philadelphia roots, but McGregor himself was happy to share the love he received from the Madison Square Garden fans at Friday's fake weigh-in:
This is my event and these are my people ?? pic.twitter.com/pBsGIPxfOh
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) November 12, 2016
The UFC is on the verge of making attendance history at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, and MMA Fighting reporter Ariel Helwani emphasised the magnitude of the occasion in anticipation of Saturday's clash:
Inside MSG waiting for the fake weigh-ins. It now feels real. Can't believe we're actually at MSG for a weigh-in. Massive crowd expected.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) November 11, 2016
Although McGregor is the featherweight champion, the Irishman is technically coming down in weight for this duel after back-to-back meetings against Nate Diaz at welterweight, where he won at UFC 202 back in August.
Lightweight champion Alvarez promises to be another test altogether at what many would call McGregor's more natural weight class, however, with the main event expected to start at around 5 a.m. GMT (12 a.m. ET), per The Independent's Jack de Menezes.
Mystic Mac's Prediction Realised
Not for the first time in his career, McGregor has envisioned a quick finish against Alvarez, and it wouldn't be a complete shock to see a stand-up brawl finish inside one round.
Speaking at the UFC 205 press conference back in September, when the fight was first announced, The Notorious shut Alvarez down with a first-round knockout prediction, per The Independent's Jim Edwards:
Shut your f--king mouth. I run New York. I run this whole s--t. And Mystic Mac predicts I'm going to KO you inside of one round.
I'm very happy with the 155-pound weight limit. I feel like with all the divisions I ran around and ran through, 155 I feel will be the one where I take over the most.
Despite doubts over some of those claims, it could be true the Dubliner is at his most comfortable in the 155-pound division, considering his frame is so large compared to his peers at featherweight, with Alvarez his first test subject.
Artem Lobov has trained with McGregor and become accustomed to this kind of fortune-telling for years, and the Russian Hammer also backed up his friend's vision of an early knockout, via The42.ie:
"Conor is ready to kill this guy in one round." We caught up with @RusHammerMMA to get his thoughts on McGregor v Alvarez at #UFC205 pic.twitter.com/ZcAyAp1ipG
— The42 MMA (@The42MMA) November 11, 2016
The odds have always rung in favour of McGregor since betting opened on the event, as explained by Smart Bets, and although Alvarez may look to assert his position on the mat, his opponent's takedown defence has proved impressive in recent fights.
The Silent Assassin can take on a very primal punching stance, and while he finished Rafael Dos Anjos in impressive manner to clinch the lightweight belt, McGregor is sure to be a far more elusive customer.
Prediction: McGregor wins by first-round KO
