UFC 205 Fight Card and Rumors

UFC 205, which is scheduled for November 12 in New York City, is drawing closer by the day. As it does, it continues to evolve into one of the best UFC cards of all time.

The biggest fight on the card, unsurprisingly, is its newly announced main event, which will see Eddie Alvarez defend his UFC lightweight title against reigning UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor. Alvarez won the title in July by smashing the streaking Rafael Dos Anjos to a first-round TKO win. McGregor, meanwhile, won featherweight gold with a 13-second KO of Jose Aldo last December – though he’s spent his last two fights battling Nate Diaz at welterweight. If the Irishman is successful against Alvarez, he’ll become the first fighter ever to hold two UFC titles simultaneously.

Alvarez vs. McGregor is not the only title fight on the bill.

The card will also see Tyron Woodley defend his welterweight title against the streaking Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson, while Poland’s Joanna Jedrzejczyk will defend her strawweight title against her countrywoman, Karolina Kowalkiewicz.

Woodley won the welterweight title by leveling Robbie Lawler with a first-round punch at UFC 201 in late July. Thompson earned his shot at Woodley’s new belt by extending his win-streak to a whopping seven with a June defeat of recent Bellator signee Rory MacDonald. 

Jedrzejczyk, meanwhile, won the title UFC strawweight 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.

Of course, the appeal of UFC 205 doesn’t end with its trio of title fights.

Elsewhere on the card, we’ll see Chris Weidman attempt to rebound from a December title loss against streaking Cuban Olympian Yoel Romero, while former bantamweight champ Miesha Tate looks to get back on track against the ever-dangerous Raquel Pennington.

The card will also feature a high-profile featherweight bout between former lightweight champ Frankie Edgar and long-time contender Jeremy Stephens, and the fourth welterweight appearance of Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, who will look to stay perfect in the division opposite TUF 17 winner Kelvin Gastelum.

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 as it currently stands.

Officially announced bouts:

For the UFC lightweight championship: Eddie Alvarez (28-4) vs. Conor McGregor (20-3)

For the UFC welterweight championship: Tyron Woodley (16-3) vs. Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson (13-1)

For the UFC strawweight championship: Joanna Jedrzejczyk (12-0) vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz (10-0)

Middleweight: Chris Weidman (13-1) vs. Yoel Romero (12-1)

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)

Women’s Bantamweight: Miesha Tate (18-6) vs. Raquel Pennington (7-1)