Well, fight fans, it's happening. Featherweight champion Conor McGregor is fighting his 155-pound contemporary Eddie Alvarez for the Lightweight title, on the most stacked pay-per-view (PPV) card of the year, UFC 205, which takes place inside Madison Square Garden in New York, N.Y., on Nov. 12, 2016.
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White broke the new late last night on ESPN. Check it out:
Late Night Breaking News on @notthefakeSVP's @SportsCenter: @danawhite confirms @Ealvarezfight vs. @TheNotoriousMMA for #UFC205!
— Dave Sholler (@Sholler_UFC) September 27, 2016
And McGregor -- who has yet to defend his 145-pound title -- is keeping his belt, too, per Dave Sholler, making this the first bonafide superfight since B.J. Penn challenged Georges St-Pierre. It's surprising news to say the least, considering White was adamant that "Notorious" would fight Jose Aldo next after his two matches against Nate Diaz at Welterweight. In fact, just last week, White doused rumors that Alvarez would fight McGregor, stating that Khabib Nurmagomedov would finally compete for the Lightweight title.
It seems as though McGregor -- who is apparently not injured -- and his drawing power were just too much to pass up. Indeed, McGregor is at the height of his fame, coming off a "Fight of the Year" grudge match that sold 1.65 million buys. Moreover, it has the novelty value of being the first UFC show at Madison Square Garden -- they are bringing the show. Expect more details later today at 6 p.m. ET when the promotion kicks off its UFC 205 promotion with a live press conference.