IT TOOK A while to assemble but the finalised card for UFC 205 was worth the wait.
After the ban on professional mixed martial arts in the state of New York was lifted earlier this year, the UFC will hold its first show in New York City on 12 November when Madison Square Garden hosts a card that will feature no fewer than three title fights.
A lightweight title headline bout between defending champion Eddie Alvarez and featherweight title-holder Conor McGregor was announced this morning, and the final piece of the puzzle came together this afternoon when the return of former middleweight champion Chris Weidman in a clash with Yoel Romero was confirmed.
Elsewhere on the bill, Tyron Woodley will make his first defence of the welterweight title against Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson, and Joanna Jedrzejczyk will put her women’s strawweight belt on the line against Polish compatriot Karolina Kowalkiewicz.
In total there are four current champions on the UFC 205 card — Alvarez, McGregor, Woodley and Jedrzejczyk — as well as four former title holders: Weidman, Miesha Tate, Frankie Edgar and Rashad Evans.
After four Las Vegas fights in a row for McGregor, Irish fans are likely to be attracted by the considerably more feasible trip to New York to support the Dubliner as he aims to become the first fighter to hold two UFC belts at the same time. Tickets will go on general sale this Friday.
UFC 205
- Eddie Alvarez vs. Conor McGregor
- Tyron Woodley vs. Stephen Thompson
- Joanna Jędrzejczyk vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz
- Chris Weidman vs. Yoel Romero
- Donald Cerrone vs. Kelvin Gastelum
- Miesha Tate vs. Raquel Pennington
- Frankie Edgar vs. Jeremy Stephens
- Tim Kennedy vs. Rashad Evans
- Tim Boetsch vs. Rafael Natal
- Jim Miller vs. Thiago Alves
- Lyman Good vs. Belal Muhammad
- Liz Carmouche vs. Katlyn Chookagian
