UFC 205, which is scheduled for November 12 in New York City, is drawing closer by the day. As it does, its lineup continues to grow.
At this point, the highlight of the card is a long-discussed welterweight title fight between Champion Tyron Woodley and challenger Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson. Woodley won the divisional crown by shutting the power off on Robbie Lawler in July. Thompson, meanwhile, earned his number-one-contender status in June, when he extended his win-streak to seven with a decision win over recent Bellator signee Rory MacDonald.
Another high-point of the UFC 205 lineup is a rumored bout between strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Karolina Kowalkiewicz, which is expected to be made official imminently. Jedrzejczyk won the title back in early 2015, beating the brakes off the division’s inaugural champion Carla Esparza en route to a second round knockout. Since then, the undefeated Polish striker has successfully defended the throne against Jessica Penne, Valerie Letourneau, and Claudia Gadelha. Kowalkiewicz, another undefeated Polish fighter, has gone 3-0 in the UFC, most recently cementing her number-one-contender status with a decision triumph over the dangerous Rose Namajunas.
Elsewhere on UFC 205’s main card, we’ll see Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone attempt to move to 4-0 as a welterweight opposite TUF 17 winner Kelvin Gastelum, who stepped up to replace Robbie Lawler. The main card will also feature a featherweight showdown between former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar and brick-fisted contender Jeremy Stephens.
UFC 205’s full lineup is expected to be announced by UFC President Dana White on Tuesday, September 27.
Here’s a full rundown of the card, including the bouts that are apparently in the works.
Officially announced bouts:
For UFC welterweight championship: Tyron Woodley (16-3) vs. Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson (13-1)
Welterweight: Kelvin Gastelum (12-2) vs. Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone (31-7)
Featherweight: Frankie Edgar (20-5-1) vs. Jeremy ‘Lil Heathen’ Stephens (25-12)
Middleweight: Rashad Evans (19-5-1) vs. Tim Kennedy (18-5)
Lightweight: Thiago Alves (21-10) vs. Jim Miller (27-8)
Middleweight: Tim Boetsch (19-10) vs. Rafael Natal (21-7-1)
Woman’s Bantamweight: Liz Carmouche (10-5) vs. Katlyn Chookagian (8-0)
Rumored bouts:
Middleweight: Chris Weidman (13-1) vs. Yoel Romero (12-1)
For UFC lightweight championship: Eddie Alvarez (28-4) vs. Conor McGregor (20-3)
For the UFC strawweight championship: Joanna Jedrzejczyk (12-0) vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz (10-0)