Why has Conor McGregor opted to challenge fellow UFC champion Eddie Alvarez?
By James Dielhenn
Last Updated: 27/09/16 11:43am
Conor McGregor will challenge UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez in New York, but why has the Irish hotshot chosen this fight? Sky Sports explains…
What can McGregor gain?
As the reigning featherweight (145lbs) champion, McGregor is bidding to add the lightweight (155lbs) gold to become the first UFC fighter to ever hold simultaneous belts. Only two men - Randy Couture and BJ Penn - have won world titles in different weight classes so McGregor can emphatically trump that achievement by wearing two belts at the same time.
The rug was swept from beneath McGregor's feet in March when he first aimed to accomplish this feat. Fresh from winning the featherweight title, his next assignment was to challenge lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos but the Brazilian withdrew injured. This next fight is an opportunity to revisit his two-weight champion desires against Alvarez, who knocked out Dos Anjos in July.
Entering as a challenger rather than a defending champion also affords McGregor a comfortable landing should the unthinkable happen. Falling short of a goal that nobody has ever achieved leaves scant room for criticism. He is fighting a larger opponent for the third consecutive time (after two welterweight meetings with Nate Diaz) so his optimism must be commended, even if the expectation is that McGregor is best suited to lightweight.
But can he beat Alvarez? He will hope that being quicker and more nimble will allow him to repeatedly land his dangerous left hand, as it did in his second Diaz fight. Alvarez's willingness to remain in the pocket may have McGregor, a concussive counter-puncher, licking his lips.
Finally, the chance to headline a landmark New York City event must have provided extra temptation. His name on a Madison Square Garden poster is another major accreditation on his burgeoning CV - he will become the main attraction in the UFC's first visit to the Big Apple, so can expect to be compensated appropriately.
His last four fights have been held in Las Vegas meaning a New York date will also afford his fanatical Irish fans a much easier flight across the water. As he prepares to roll the dice with another tricky test, such a voracious support will be welcome.
Who is Eddie Alvarez?
- UFC lightweight champion
- 28-4 record
- Won 3 out of 4 UFC fights
- Notable wins: Gilbert Melendez, Anthony Pettis, Rafael dos Anjos
What is McGregor risking?
The Dubliner did an excellent job in his most recent victory over Diaz of masking his previous defeat to the same opponent, but he can't eradicate it from memory. The evidence of how to topple McGregor exists.
Two defeats in 2016 could significantly dampen McGregor's fearsome image so his insistence on challenging a naturally larger world champion could be exposed as over-confidence.
Known for a sturdy chin, Alvarez has been stopped just once in 32 fights and that was nine years ago. McGregor struggled when Diaz refused to cave in to his punches, and Alvarez will represent a similarly gritty target.
An endurance-based competitor, Alvarez's ability to maintain pace could thwart McGregor in a similar manner to Diaz in March. He has wrestling pedigree, long mooted as the Irishman's Kryptonite, but can box adeptly too. Philadelphia's Rocky Balboa may be fictional but Alvarez, the city's latest champion, possesses a real ability to trade hands with knockout artist McGregor.
There are plenty of risks attached to challenging for Alvarez's word title, but playing with fire is what has made McGregor's career so compelling.
