Published 19:44 IST, November 12th 2020
Conor McGregor became UFC double champ OTD in 2016 by defeating Alvarez at UFC 205: Watch
By defeating Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205, Conor McGregor became the first UFC fighter to simultaneously hold titles in two separate weight classes.
On November 12, 2016, history was made. Besides the UFC holding its first-ever MMA event inside New York’s Madison Square Garden at UFC 205, it also crowned Conor McGregor as the new lightweight champion. The Notorious One, who had earlier won the featherweight belt from Jose Aldo in just 13 seconds, delivered yet another dominating performance against Eddie Alvarez and defeated him via TKO in the second round of UFC 205. In the process, Conor McGregor became the first UFC fighter to simultaneously hold titles in two separate weight classes.
Conor McGregor UFC career: What happened next?
The fight elevated Conor McGregor’s image to a whole different level and even played a huge part in getting him a fight against boxing legend Floyd Mayweather. However, before the Mayweather bout, Conor McGregor was stripped of his featherweight belt due to his inactivity in the division, promoting José Aldo to undisputed champion. The Notorious One then lost to Mayweather but earned more than $80 million from the bout.
He was then stripped from his lightweight belt as he did not defend the title in over 18 months. Meaning, he never defended either of his two belts. He finally made his much-awaited return in 2018, where he fought Khabib Nurmagomedov, who won his lightweight belt. Conor McGregor dominated the first round, but Khabib Nurmagomedov soon took over and won the bout in the fourth round via submission, thanks to his incredible wrestling skills. UFC 229: Khabib vs McGregor drew around 2.4 million PPV buys - the most ever for an MMA event.
A few months later, Conor McGregor retired from the sport but made a comeback in January 2020. He fought Donald Cerrone in a welterweight bout and won via technical knockout in just 40 seconds. Though the win earned him a Performance of the Night bonus, he retired once again a few weeks later. Now, Conor McGregor is scheduled to make his third comeback where he’ll face Dustin Poirier in a rematch.
McGregor next fight: What’s next for The Notorious One?
Though McGregor vs Poirier 2 is yet to be made official, The Notorious One has been vocal about his return bout, which could take place in January 2021. Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier first fought at featherweight in 2014 where the former double champ came out victorious.
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Image Source: UFC.com
Updated 19:44 IST, November 12th 2020