UFC 205, which is scheduled for November 12 in New York City’s Madison Square Garden, is quickly coming together. Earlier this week, it was announced that a lightweight bout between Al Iaquinta and Thiago Alves had been tacked onto the bill. Days later, we learned that Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone and Robbie Lawler would also be fighting on the card. Rumors also suggest that Chris Weidman will be fighting at the garden, while his teammate Aljamain Sterling is also eager to earn a spot on the card.
Yet none of the aforementioned fights, whether they’ve been made official or not, are big enough to serve as UFC 205’s main event. The card, after all, marks the culmination of an arduous battle to legalize MMA in the state of New York. It’s a celebration. As such, it’s main event will need to be huge.
Unfortunately, their are surprisingly few huge fights available to the UFC at the moment, as most of the organization’s top stars are indisposed. Ronda Rousey, who has not been seen since she was knocked out by Holly Holm almost a year ago, will not be ready to return by November 12. Jon Jones, meanwhile, is neck-deep in drama with USADA, and his future remains nebulous as a result. Brock Lesnar, who defeated Mark Hunt at UFC 200, was later busted for banned substances, and is still under contract with WWE anyway. Georges St-Pierre, who is apparently ready for a comeback, is still in the early phases of negotiations to that end.
You can probably see what we’re getting at here. The UFC needs a superstar to headline it’s debut in Madison Square Garden, and there’s really only one fighter that appears to be available for the job: Conor McGregor.
According to Ariel Helwani, a title clash between the Irishman and UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez is currently the top choice for the event.
I would classify that as the top "choice" but very far from a done deal. Lots of moving parts at the moment. https://t.co/UZxePQDjIM
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) September 9, 2016
Of course, the hurdles in the way of this bout are immediately clear. McGregor partook in a tooth-and-nail battle with Nate Diaz less than a month ago, and injured his foot in the process. He also wants to keep his featherweight title, despite having fought his last two fights outside the division. The list goes on…
https://twitter.com/TalkMMA/status/773501963233267713
Do you think the UFC can make this massive fight happen for the rapidly approaching November 12 card? Sound off, PENN nation!