UFC New York: Presser Recap
New York Fighting was on the scene for the UFC 205 press conference held in Madison Square Garden on Tuesday, September 27th. NYF Contributor Pari Aryafar (@pariunderthesea) live-tweeted the event and was able to see first-hand the beginning of a real celebration for all the hard work it took to get MMA legalized in New York. The sport was banned twenty years ago, but with a big push and a lot of funding from the UFC, as well as several big name fighters, it was finally legalized earlier in 2016. With individuals such as Chris Weidman, Ronda Rousey, Bas Rutten, Phoenix Carnevale, Aljamain Sterling, Ryan LaFlare and Dennis Bermudez lobbying hard to pass legislation to regulate MMA in the state, it made sense that as soon as the ink dried, a huge fight card for the promotion was promised–for where else?– Madison Square Garden.
Bringing that card to fruition however, has taken some time and already has had several setbacks. After a much-hyped and controversy-filled UFC 200 earlier this summer, many were concerned about how the UFC New York card would be arranged. If one of the biggest fighters in the game could be pulled out just days before his most ludicrous payday to date, and another could test positive for steroids on the actual day of the event, what would happen next for a promotion that recently underwent a massive sale?
When a Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone and “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler bout fell through the cracks due to Lawler’s need for more time, fans held their breath to see how the card would shake out. Who deserved to be a part of such a historic event? Shouldn’t it be packed with New York fighters, since it was such a huge victory for the state? After the fiasco that was UFC 200 and the wars that rage on Twitter between fighters, who would be picked?
Several New Yorkers/New Jerseyans were recently announced, including Rafael “Sapo” Natal vs Tim Boetsch, Chris Weidman vs Yoel “Soldier of God” Romero, Frankie “The Answer” Edgar vs Jeremy “Lil’ Heathen” Stephens, and the explosive New York City favorite Katyln “Blondefighter” Chookigan vs Liz “Girl-Rilla” Carmouche. The day of the conference, the UFC released news that the main event would be Irishman Conor McGregor fighting Eddie Alvarez for the Lightweight belt after all–to the excitement of many, and the dismay of Jose Aldo.
The press conference did not disappoint. Cheering fans filled The Garden’s Theatre, and as a large black curtain was raised the various fighters on the card stood at attention. Right away, the focus went to McGregor and Alvarez, as the two swapped verbal jabs at each other. At one point, Dana White jokingly took away an energy drink from McGregor, referencing his previous conference melee with Nate Diaz. McGregor promised fans that he would knock Alvarez out in the first round, as Alvarez shook his head and said McGregor was “easy money.” Per McGregor’s word, the bout was only signed ten days ago but both men appeared to be out for blood.
Recently crowned Welterweight champion Tyron Woodley gave the audience an opportunity to boo him before he spoke, as they continued to yell and jeer at him every time a question was sent in his direction. “You can boo, but I’m still the Welterweight champion of the world and you must respect me.”
Other highlights included Dana White announcing that Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Michael Johnson would be on the card, resulting in an eruption of “Khabib!” across the crowd. After endless #KhabibTime comments on his social media, it looked like White was ready to give fans some of what they had been asking for. Chris Weidman promised “A heck of alot more fights coming” to New York, as Joanna Jedrzejczyk shouted, “Polish women rule the world!” in regards to hers and Karolina Kowalkiewicz’s upcoming bout.
When asked about his intent behind the card, White said, “I wanted to bring the best card, no matter where everyone is from.” However, it appears that he still doesn’t have a return date for Ronda Rousey, as he mentioned that she would reach out to him when she was ready to come back. If reports are true, she may be returning to the Octagon for UFC 207 against Bantamweight champ Amanda Nunes.
The conference ended with verbal shots coming from all over, and somehow Conor McGregor was involved in all of it–from Jeremy Stephens calling him out for his next fight (with McGregor responding, “Who the f&*k is that guy?”), to being dissed by Cowboy Cerrone for his behavior, to a reporter asking Eddie Alvarez, “Who the f&*k are you to beat him?” resulting in McGregor erupting with his infamous laughter. The faceoffs finished with little event, other than White having to stand in between his main event fighters to hold them back from getting in each other’s face. With three title fights and only weeks to go until UFC 205 occurs, fans have their fingers crossed that the event they are being promised is what they are going to see.
Current UFC New York card below:
MAIN CARD
Eddie Alvarez vs. Conor McGregor – TITLE FIGHT
Tyron Woodley vs. Stephen Thompson – TITLE FIGHT
Chris Weidman vs. Yoel Romero
Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz – TITLE FIGHT
UNDERCARD
Tim Kennedy vs. Rashad Evans
Marcos Rogerio de Lima vs. Gian Villante
Donald Cerrone vs. Kelvin Gastelum
Frankie Edgar vs. Jeremy Stephens
Liz Carmouche vs. Katlyn Chookagian
Tim Boetsch vs. Rafael Natal
Jim Miller vs. Thiago Alves
Belal Muhammad vs. Lyman Good
Miesha Tate vs. Raquel Pennington
Writer: Pari Aryafar
Editor: Kyle Antonelli
