Ireland's Conor McGregor became the first fighter in the UFC's 23-year history to hold two divisional titles at the same time when he obliterated Eddie Alvarez in the UFC 205 main event.
The 28-year-old Dublin native snapped former champion Jose Aldo's 18-fight win streak at UFC 194, knocking out the Brazilian in a record-setting 13 seconds. He was expected to fight for the 155-pound title at UFC 196 in March against then-champion Rafael dos Anjos. Dos Anjos was force out out the bout due to injury and McGregor instead faced Nate Diaz. The fight took place in the welterweight division and Diaz handed McGregor his first UFC loss.
He avenged the loss to Diaz at UFC 202 in August and was granted the opportunity to fight for the 155-pound title at UFC 205 against Alvarez in the main event of the fight promotion's inaugural fight card in New York City. McGregor walked through the lightweight titleholder on his way to making history.
“Conor is special. Everybody has been saying, ‘wait until he faces a wrestler; wait until he faces a wrestler.’ He throws that left hand with no effort, but when it touches people, they go. It’s unbelievable,” said UFC president Dana White during the UFC 205 post-fight press conference at Madison Square Garden.
McGregor is one of a kind. He set out to do what's never been done and made it look easy. White says that he's never dealt with a fighter quite like “The Notorious.”
“I’ve never dealt with anybody like this kid, on so many different levels,” he said. “Normally, he walks out of the Octagon and says, ‘I want to fight this guy next.’ Nobody does that. Nobody has ever done that.”
McGregor is the biggest draw on the UFC's roster, but he's demanding. Following his win over Alvarez, the soon to be father stated that he wants a percentage of the company.
“I want the ownership now. I want the equal show. I want what I deserve, what I’ve earned,” he said.
No comments:
Post a Comment