12 November 2017, Maddison Square Garden, UFC 205, the man Conor McGregor (21-3) wrote his name into the echelons of MMA history.
The Irishman become a two division champion after he dethroned Lightweight title holder Eddie Alvarez (28-5) in a flawless performance that solidified his status as a global superstar.
The SBG Ireland trained fighter entered the Octagon oozing with confidence to the applause of a pro-McGregor crowd, despite being over 3000 miles away from from his hometown in Dublin, Ireland. It was a stark contrast to the reception Alvarez received; who if he faced any other fighter on the night would surly have been favoured due to his Philadelphia.
From the outset McGregor would take control of the centre of the cage, using his 5-inch reach advantage to tee off on the Lightweight champion, sending him crashing down to the canvas on three occasions in the opening five minutes. It was clear that Alvarez was having difficulty getting inside his opponent’s range and despite good head movement, the defending champion could do nothing to stop “The Notorious” one imposing his will on him.
In the second round the Featherweight champion would continue his assault on the man nicknamed “The Underground King” peppering him with shots, straight lefts before landing a final devastating combination that sent Alvarez tumbling down to the ground for the final time, the referee stopping the bout at the 3:04 mark to bring an end to the encounter.
Post-fight, after the opportunity was almost denied from him, it become apparent that McGregor’s obsession over hoisting two UFC titles above his head had consumed him.
In the mist of this apparent mishap where the UFC seemingly only had one belt at hand, the brash Irishman took the mic to remind those in attendance who runs New York and mixed martial arts by barking: “where the fck is my second belt? Cheap motherfers. 4.2 billion dollars and I can’t get a second belt.”
Alas, the balance was eventually restored when UFC President Dana White presented the new champion with a secondary title belt, meaning that McGregor could finally bask in the glory of his achievement, in a moment which will echo outwards for a very long time to come.
