It's the night a lot of people have been waiting for, a chance to watch some of their favorite fighters take on the octagon in Madison Square Garden (MSG). Not only has this moment been much awaited by fans, but the organization as whole has been waiting more than enough to hold a stacked event at MSG.
Misha Tate and Raquel Pennington took on the octagon first for the main card in a bantamweight bout. For Tate, coming off of of her title loss this fight was something she was waiting for. Pennington, an up and coming fighter proved her skills in the ring. The first round of the bout was impressive with returned punches frequently, and multiple takedowns and defenses throughout the rest of the rounds. Overall, the fight went all three rounds ending in decision. Pennington pulling off the win, Tate then announced her retirement saying "It's time for the future" as she pointed to Pennington.
In the second fight, middleweights Chris Weidman and Yoel Romero put on an interesting show; both dropping leg kicks and takedown attempts throughout the three rounds. Though none of the takedowns were successful, on either part, Romero won the fight with a knee to the head. Sending Weidman to the ground. Now, Romero will be giving his title shot.
Joanna Champion began the championship matches against her opponent Karolina Kowalkiewicz. Retaining her title, the bout went all five rounds with Kowalkiewicz hanging in, showing her toughness against the quick Champion. Tyron Woodley and Stephen Thompson, the most interesting and unpredictable fight on the card entertained those watching 205. Thompson, showing his karate background but waiting for the right time to defend against the champ, proved his skills in the octagon. Going all five rounds, Thompson and Woodley received a very interesting decision. Facing a draw, Woodley still retained his title.
The superfight to make history against Conor Mcgregor and Eddie Alvarez did not disappoint the fans. With Mcgregor's reach, his advantage over Alvarez became clear in the first minutes of round one. Their sparring was careful at the beginning, and a few punches were exchanged. Alvarez took a couple of tumbles, but nothing detrimental. Alvarez goes for the takedown, receiving a knee to the head instead. Round two consisted of a few mellow kicks between the two, and taunting from Mcgregor ensues. A right-left-right combo from the Irishman sent Alvarez plummeting to the canvas, ending the fight.
McGregor now has made history by holding two championship belts in different weight classes. The post fight press conference consisted of the Notorious making his big announcement as promised from Dana White. Becoming a father this next May with long-time girlfriend Dee Devlin, McGregor said he will be taking some time off, and is also looking to become a partner with the UFC with his family on the way. Madison Square Garden did not dissapoint the fanbase in the UFC, more events are more than likely to be expected in the coming years.
