7 Things We Learned From UFC 205
The most historic card in history delivered on the hype.
UFC 205 is in the books and after months of the promotion, media and fans haling it as the biggest and most important MMA card of all-time, the event definitely lived up to the hype. Three title fights featuring four champions and a main event with the top draw in the sport attempting to make history lead to a new record gate for Madison Square Garden.
After a hard-fought political battle to get mixed martial arts sanctioned in New York, the UFC's debut at "the word's most famous arena" delivered in every way imaginable. Incredible action full of violent finishes mixed with healthy doses of drama and controversy had the live crowd and the audience at home and in sports bars around the world on the edge of their seats all night.
The end of the show gave the UFC the best possible outcome business-wise and it'll be exciting to see where things go from here. The sport is in a good place with so many possibilities and a mega-star who is only getting bigger.
Let's take a look at what we learned from UFC 205.
7. McGregor Lived Up To The Hype
Whether you find yourself a Conor McGregor fan or someone who has grown increasingly tired of his over-the-top personality and antics, there can be no denying that he stepped up to the plate and delivered under the brightest spotlight possible.
"Notorious" is the biggest pay-per-view draw in the sport's history and his legion of followers increases with every fight. He has been responsible for luring many new fans into the fold and everything he's involved with becomes a spectacle. There were plenty of analysts - myself included - who were skeptical that he'd be able to perform so well against lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez. Sure his win over Nate Diaz in their second fight was impressive, but Diaz has never been a champion in the UFC and has always hung around outside the top 5 of both 155 and 170 during his time in each division.
When the numbers come in and this card becomes the biggest selling MMA PPV of all-time, McGregor will be primarily responsible. He's created an aura around himself that is a mixture of Muhammad Ali, Floyd Mayweather and Ric Flair and he has the sport eating out of the palm of his hand. The MSG show became such a major card because of his presence and ability to hype an event, and when the pressure was on for him to do what no one else in the UFC has ever done, he turned in the best performance of his career.
The doubters and naysayers were left in silence as McGregor battered the 155-pound champ en route to a second round TKO. He was focused, confident and on another level the entirety of the fight. Alvarez had nothing for him, and no one could have expected it to be such a one-sided beatdown.