The Ultimate Fighting Championship enjoyed a record-breaking night in New York City’s Madison Square Garden as Conor McGregor made history by becoming the first simultaneous dual-weight champion.
UFC 205 set a box-office record for Madison Square Garden, with gate receipts totaling more than $17million, surpassing the previous record set in 1999 for a boxing bout between Evander Holyfield and Lennox Lewis ($15.9 million – adjusted from $11 million with inflation).
20,427 fans packed into the Garden at a reported average ticket price of $1,237.
It was the first time a UFC event has been hosted in New York City, with the state of New York revoking its ban on professional MMA earlier this year.
The city of Buffalo hosted UFC 7 back in 1995, in the beginning of the promotion’s history before MMA was banned in the state of New York.
Headline act McGregor did not disappoint the worldwide audience, knocking out Eddie Alvarez inside of two rounds in a dominant display, to add the UFC lightweight title to the featherweight title he won last December.
In doing so, he became the first man to be UFC champion at two different weights simultaneously.
He was only the second man to attempt the feat, after BJ Penn tried and failed at UFC 94 in 2009.
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Fans had to wait for the headline act after Tyron Woodley and Stephen Thompson fought it out to a majority draw in their welterweight championship bout.
There was confusion in the arena after announcer Bruce Buffer initially read the scores – which had two judges with a 47-47 tie and one 48-47 in Woodley’s favor – as a split decision victory for Woodley, only to change it minutes later.
Woodley retains the belt, though it ends a four-bout winning streak.
It was only the third draw in UFC Championship history.
Earlier, strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczuk successfully defended her belt for the fourth time, defeating fellow Pole Karolina Kowalkiewicz by unanimous decision.
The pair had previously met four years earlier as amateurs.
Jedrzejczuk controlled large parts of the fight. Her record is now 13-0 as a pro, and she remains the only unbeaten champion on the UFC roster.
Former middleweight champion Chris Weidman was knocked out by 2000 Olympic wrestling silver medalist Yoel Romero, who preserved an unbeaten run that dates back to 2011.
Romero’s flying knee knockout in the final round of their scheduled three-round bout makes him only the second fighter, after Diego Sanchez, with two flying knee knockouts.
Raquel Pennington defeated Miesha Tate by unanimous decision in the women’s bantamweight, which sets her up for a potential meeting at UFC 207 against the winner of Amanda Nunes’ imminent fight with Ronda Rousey.
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Tate, 30, announced her retirement following the fight with an 18-7 record over her nine-year career.
On the preliminary card, Russian Khabib Nurmagomedov became the seventh fighter in UFC history to win their first eight UFC fights.
His 88 significant ground strikes landed on opponent Michael Johnson were also the third most ever landed in a single fight.
The victory moved Nurmagomedov to 24-0 in his career. After the bout, he called Conor McGregor a “chicken” before gesturing to president Dana White that he wanted a title shot.
“I want to stay humble but other guys talk too much,” said Nurmagomedov.
“Irish only 6 million, Russia 150 million, I want to fight your chicken. What do you say about 24-win streak? Let's go, let's go with your chicken.”
UFC 205 results
MAINCARD
Conor McGregor def. Eddie Alvarez by TKO (punches) at 3:04 of round two
Tyron Woodley majority draw with Stephen Thompson (47-47 x2, 48-47)
Joanna Jedrzejczyk def. Karolina Kowalkiewicz by unanimous decision (49-46 x3)
Yoel Romero def. Chris Weidman by TKO (flying knee and punches) at 0:24 of round three
Raquel Pennington def. Miesha Tate by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27 x2)
PRELIMS
Frankie Edgar def. Jeremy Stephens by unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 29-28)
Khabib Nurmagomedov def. Michael Johnson by submission (kimura) at 2:31 of round three
Tim Boetsch def. Rafael Natal by KO (punches) at 3:22 of round one
Vicente Luque def. Belal Muhammad by KO (punches) at 1:19 of round one
Jim Miller def. Thiago Alves by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
Liz Carmouche def. Katlyn Chookagian by split decision (28-29, 29-8 x2)