There’s a good argument to be made that UFC 205 features the best main card in not only UFC history, but in the history of MMA.
The UFC promised that when the promotion got into New York City it would bring a huge card to Madison Square Garden, and the company made good on that promise. The full UFC 205 card is just absolutely stacked, and the main card in particular — which features six fights, including three title fights — is as good as it gets when it comes to MMA.
The main event of UFC 205 features MMA’s biggest superstar, UFC Featherweight Champion Conor McGregor, looking to make history as the first dual-weight champion when he takes on UFC Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez. McGregor has been setting records with his amazing performances inside the Octagon, including his two huge pay-per-view blockbusters with Nate Diaz at UFC 196 and UFC 202, and now he’ll look to take his career to the next level by winning a second title against Alvarez, the lightweight champ. Alvarez who has been around the sport for over a decade, deserves this incredible opportunity to headline the biggest card ever, and with both McGregor and Alvarez being two of the most exciting fighters in the sport, the UFC matchmakers have put together an amazing fight that can’t possibly be boring, and a fight that will thrill everyone at the event and watching on PPV.
But there’s not just one title fight at UFC 205, and there’s not just two, there are three. The second title fight sees UFC Welterweight Champion Tyron Woodley take on challenger Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson. Woodley is coming off of an incredible knockout win over Robbie Lawler to claim the title, while Thompson has won seven fights in a row. Both men are known for knocking their opponents out and they have the potential to put on a fantastic fight to prove who the best welterweight in the world is. In addition, UFC Strawweight Champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk takes on Karolina Kowalkiewicz in a battle of undefeated Polish fighters. Someone’s “O” has to go here, as Jedrzejczyk, who is 6-0 in the UFC, and Kowalkiewicz, who is 3-0 in the UFC, battle in what is sure to be a barnburner between two women who have no problem standing and trading. With these two title fights plus the main event, UFC 205 features the first three-title UFC card since UFC 33, which was 15 years ago.
And those are only the top three fights on the card. In an intriguing middleweight bout, former UFC Middleweight Champion Chris Weidman fights Yoel Romero. This fight could easily headline a Fight Night card, as it features two of the most well-rounded and dangerous middleweights in what will likely decide the #1 contender to champ Michael Bisping‘s title. Both Weidman and Romero have been on the shelf since UFC 194 last December, and with Weidman being a native New Yorker and Romero always being involved in exciting fights, this bout has the potential to be a real barnburner. And in a welterweight fight, Donald Cerrone fights Kelvin Gastelum. Since moving to welterweight, Cerrone has looked like an absolute world-beater, with three straight stoppage wins over Alex Oliveira, Patrick Cote and Rick Story, while Gastelum is coming off the biggest win of his career over Johny Hendricks. Both Cerrone and Gastelum are exciting action fighters, and this fight is sure to be a crowd-pleaser.
Finally, the main card opens up with a women’s bantamweight bout between former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Miesha Tate and Raquel Pennington. Of all the fights on the main card, this is the one fight that’s questionable, considering the depth and quality of some of the preliminary card bouts, but at the end of the day, Tate is one of the most popular fighters in the sport, and with both Tate and Pennington being scrappy brawlers, this should be a fun fight, with the winner putting her name into the title conversation at 135 lbs.
There have been some amazing cards in MMA history: in the UFC, in PRIDE, in Strikeforce, in WEC, and even in Affliction. But UFC 205, at least on paper, is the best among them. From top to bottom, this is the best card ever assembled, and a must-watch card for not only anyone who loves MMA, but even those who are curious about the sport, as there couldn’t be a better introduction to this amazing sport than this card. The UFC made good on its promise to New York City by putting together a stacked card, and now it’s up to the fighters to put on a great show for the fans.
