EDGAR vs STEPHENS

New Jersey’s Frankie Edgar bounced back impressively from his July loss to Jose Aldo, making his Madison Square Garden debut a winning one at UFC 205 on Saturday, as he scored a unanimous decision victory over Jeremy Stephens in a meeting of featherweight contenders.

Scores were 30-27 twice and 29-28 for the No. 2-ranked Edgar, now 20-5-1; the No. 7-ranked Stephens falls to 25-13.

Using his speed and movement to stay a step ahead of his opponent, Edgar fought well on the feet throughout the opening round, and that may have been enough for him to take it, even though he wasn’t able to keep Stephens on the ground after a pair of quick takedowns.

Using the threat of a takedown to keep Stephens from getting his shots off consistently, Edgar did get a roar from the crowd when he did put the Iowan on the mat briefly. Those roars turned to shocked “Oohs” when Stephens decked Edgar with a left kick to the head. Edgar immediately shot for a takedown to clear his head, but he rose on wobbly legs as Stephens pressed his advantage and Edgar’s eyebrow swelled. Stephens’ aggression almost did him in, as Edgar landed a takedown and almost sunk in a guillotine choke. Now the partisan crowd had something to cheer about as “The Answer” finished strong.

Edgar floored Stephens with a takedown early in the final frame, but Stephens tried to stay busy by taking his opponent’s arm. Eventually, the “Lil’ Heathen” rose, only to have Edgar drag him back down for another spell on the mat. Back on his feet, Stephens drilled Edgar with an overhand right, Edgar taking it well as he continued to stick and move and elude any serious danger.

More from UFC 205: Results | Milestone tracker | Who won bonuses at UFC 205? | McGregor adds 2nd title with Alvarez KO | Woodley-Thompson title tilt ruled majority draw | Jedrzejczyk survives brief scare to defend title | Romero drops Weidman, eyes champ Bisping | Former champ Tate ends career at UFC 205 | Edgar outduels Stephens, Khabib gets big win in prelims | Miller continues resurgence with FIGHT PASS victory | Carmouche makes history again in victory
Must watch: Dana White event recap
Backstage interviews: Conor McGregor | Eddie Alvarez Tyron Woodley | Karolina Kowalkiewicz | Frankie Edgar | Khabib Nurmagomedov | Tim Boetsch | Vicente Luque
Octagon interviews: Conor McGregor | Tyron Woodley & Stephen Thompson | Joanna Jedrzejczyk & Karolina Kowalkiewicz | Miesha Tate | Khabib Nurmagomedov | Jim Miller | Liz Carmouche
FIGHT PASS customers: Watch the first two fights of the night here
Order now: Get the historic UFC 205 replay here

NURMAGOMEDOV vs JOHNSON

Unbeaten Khabib Nurmagomedov had hoped to fight for the lightweight title on tonight’s UFC 205 card, and while he didn’t get that chance, he most certainly made a strong case for a championship fight with a dominant third-round submission of Michael Johnson that lifted his perfect pro record to 24-0.

Johnson set a fast pace to start the fight, tagging the No. 2-ranked Nurmagomedov with several hard lefts to the head. Nurmagomedov stayed in the pocket with his foe, paying a price to get within grappling range. But once he did, he was able to return the favor and get Johnson in trouble with a steady stream of ground strikes. In the final minute of the round, Nurmagomedov unleashed a furious barrage of punches, even pushing his foe into the fence as he tried to rise, capping off a big round.

As round two opened, Johnson’s strikes became more defensive in nature, as he tried to keep the Dagestan native off him, but Nurmagomedov kept pressing, failing on his first couple takedown attempts but eventually getting Johnson to the mat in the second minute. Back on the canvas, Nurmagomedov went on the attack again, drilling Johnson with shot after shot before the horn intervened.

Courageously answering the bell for round three, Johnson exchanged blows with Nurmagomedov before getting taken down, and referee John McCarthy was watching carefully as “The Eagle” landed more shots. Nurmagomedov even appeared to be concerned for his opponent, saying, “You gotta give up.” Eventually, he had to though, as Nurmagomedov sunk in a kimura that finished the bout at 2:31 of the final frame.

The No. 6-ranked Johnson falls to 18-11.

BOETSCH vs NATAL

Resurgent middleweight veteran Tim Boetsch picked up his second consecutive knockout victory in impressive fashion, halting Rafael Natal in the first round.

Maine’s Boetsch kept the pressure on from the start, with his right hand opening a cut over Natal’s eye, a precursor of things to come. Natal had occasional success with his strikes, but he wasn’t active enough to keep Boetsch at bay. Eventually, the two exchanged blows against the fence, and Boetsch’s right hand hit paydirt again, this time dropping the Brazilian to the mat. From there, more rights followed without response, prompting referee Dan Miragliotta to step in and stop the fight at 3:22 of the opening frame.

With the win, Boetsch moves to 20-10; Natal falls to 21-8-1.

LUQUE vs MUHAMMAD

Born in New Jersey, Brazilian welterweight prospect Vicente Luque made quite the impression in his New York debut on Saturday, knocking out fellow up and comer Belal Muhammad in the first round.

Muhammad (10-2) was busy in the early going, but Luque (11-5-1) was patiently waiting for the opening to pick his shot. Soon, he found it, with a flush left hook putting Muhammad on the deck. A follow-up barrage of punches ended the bout seconds later, with referee John McCarthy stepping in at the 1:19 mark.

Luque, who took the fight on less than three weeks’ notice, replacing Lyman Good, scored his fourth victory in a row, with each win ending via knockout or submission.

MILLER vs ALVES

Despite having to put on weight to make his fight with Thiago Alves happen, veteran Jim Miller continued his resurgence at Madison Square Garden Saturday night, winning his third straight via unanimous decision in a UFC 205 prelim bout.

The bout was held at a 163-pound catchweight after Alves weighed in at 162.6 pounds for the lightweight bout. Miller had to rehydrate on weigh-in day to be within five pounds of his opponent.

Scores were 30-27 twice and 29-28 for Miller, now 28-8 with 1 NC as he becomes the fighter with the most wins in UFC lightweight history. Alves falls to 26-11.

Miller had a good opening round on the feet and the mat, as his punches were sharp in the early going, keeping Alves from establishing a rhythm. After a spell on the mat controlled by Miller, Alves began to get more aggressive, but he didn’t land anything significant.

The Sparta native kept with what was working in rounds two and three, mixing straight punches with workmanlike groundwork, and though Alves was far from out of the fight, as he scored with enough blows in the standup exchanges to keep the fight close, this was Miller’s night.

More from UFC 205: Results | Milestone tracker | Who won bonuses at UFC 205? | McGregor adds 2nd title with Alvarez KO | Woodley-Thompson title tilt ruled majority draw | Jedrzejczyk survives brief scare to defend title | Romero drops Weidman, eyes champ Bisping | Former champ Tate ends career at UFC 205 | Edgar outduels Stephens, Khabib gets big win in prelims | Miller continues resurgence with FIGHT PASS victory | Carmouche makes history again in victory
Must watch: Dana White event recap
Backstage interviews: Conor McGregor | Eddie Alvarez Tyron Woodley | Karolina Kowalkiewicz | Frankie Edgar | Khabib Nurmagomedov | Tim Boetsch | Vicente Luque
Octagon interviews: Conor McGregor | Tyron Woodley & Stephen Thompson | Joanna Jedrzejczyk & Karolina Kowalkiewicz | Miesha Tate | Khabib Nurmagomedov | Jim Miller | Liz Carmouche
FIGHT PASS customers: Watch the first two fights of the night here
Order now: Get the historic UFC 205 replay here

CARMOUCHE vs CHOOKAGIAN

Back in action for the first time since April of 2015, former bantamweight challenger Liz Carmouche outlasted Katlyn Chookagian, handing the New Jersey prospect her first pro defeat via split decision.

Scores were 29-28 twice and 28-29 for the No. 9-ranked Carmouche, now 10-5; Chookagian falls to 8-1.

Kenilworth’s Chookagian had some success early on, but once Carmouche was able to close the distance and get her foe to the mat, she took control, with two takedowns and good clinch work keeping Chookagian on the defensive.

Carmouche kept the heat on in the second, with a thudding slam igniting the crowd. But after a stalemate on the mat, Chookagian began to find her rhythm with her strikes in the final minute, and early in the third, a right kick to the head nearly ended the bout. With the complexion of the fight now changed, Chookagian went on the attack, but Carmouche was able to slow her momentum with a takedown. Midway through the final frame, Chookagian rose and again stalked the bloodied Carmouche, but the former world title challenger kept her at bay and finished strong.

Chaos surrounded Conor McGregor at the UFC 205 pre-fight press conference.

An enraged Eddie Alvarez dropped a chair behind the Irishman, setting off an altercation that required UFC President Dana White to step in between the two rivals.

After he was late for the show, McGregor was at the receiving end of daggers visually torpedoed in his direction by the other five fighters on stage. But as “The Notorious” has pointed out time and again – it’s the McGregor Show and he runs on his own time.

Once the melee ended and all the fighters pulled their chairs up and settled in for the press event, McGregor answered questions, played mind games, slung some insults and even took time to pose for pictures for a front row photographer.

More on Alvarez vs. McGregor: McGregor exclusive interview | Alvarez exclusive interview | Weigh-in recap | Press conference highlights | Open Workout highlights | Main event preview | Fighting for history | Media call highlights | Champ vs champ

Tonight Alvarez and McGregor finally collide for the UFC lightweight championship in the main event of UFC 205 at Madison Square Garden in New York City – the UFC’s maiden voyage into arguably the world’s most famous arena.

Nobody executes in the fight game, both on the mic and inside the Octagon, like Conor McGregor. But Alvarez thinks he has what it takes to shut up McGregor.

“I think regardless of what is said to the media, I think it’s known to him and his camp what I possess and what I can do,” Alvarez said. “I don’t need to say much — I just needed him to sign the paper and now it’s signed and the deal is done for me. My preparation is done, my plan is set and I’m ready to execute on Nov. 12.”

An emotional Alvarez looked as if he was becoming unglued at the press conference. When McGregor arrived late, Alvarez stormed offstage. When he returned, he immediately snatched his belt back because McGregor had placed it at his seating position while the champ was backstage.

But after the press conference ended and the two men completed their final media responsibilities during satellite TV interviews, Alvarez regrouped. Most opponents crumble in the back-and-forths with McGregor, but Alvarez went barb-for-barb with the best in the game.

The mental aspect of the fight has been a factor in almost all of McGregor’s contests in the UFC. From the chair of “Mystic Mac,” Alvarez is no different than anyone else he’s fought.

“I look into these people’s eyes and they don’t see it as a reality yet,” McGregor said. “He’s claiming it’s an easier contest, but I look forward to when the eyes shift and the eyes roll and the electric shock darts through his whole body. I’m going to retire him on this night. He’s been through a hell of a lot of wars and he’s been dropped continuously. This will be it for (Alvarez).”

McGregor is certainly the king of trash talk, but the featherweight champion has made his name on backing up his grand claims. He holds the fifth-highest knockdown rate in UFC history and that’s at any weight class. The power generated from his thunderous left hand has proved to be debilitating.

UFC 205 analysis: Inside the Octagon – Alvarez vs McGregor | Rankings Report: UFC 205 preview | Fact or fiction – Weidman, Tate and more | Predictions – locks and upsets | Press conference reaction | Rogan riffs on UFC 205

Alvarez is a grinding wrestler with an elite boxing acumen of his own. His performance against Rafael Dos Anjos to win the title was stunning. He landed 57 percent of his significant strikes thrown in the fight — 15 percentage points higher than the UFC average. In four fights inside the Octagon, Alvarez has landed 10 takedowns and hasn’t been taken down a single time.

Confidence comes at a premium in this sport and Alvarez feels like he’s on top of the game.

“I think every single fight you learn a little bit more about yourself as a champion,” Alvarez said. “But I think it’s when you get your belt taken away and you’re no longer a champion, I think that’s when you grow the most. I’ve been a world champion, I’ve fought the best in the world and I’ve always learned and grown.”

The time for talking has now ended; we’re on the doorstep and ready to ring the bell ahead of the biggest fight in UFC and MMA history. Two belts has been the goal for McGregor ever since he came to the UFC and at UFC 205, he finally gets his chance to make history.

Watch all UFC 205 embedded: Episdoe 1 | Episode 2 | Episode 3 | Episode 4 | Episode 5 | Episode 6

“It’s never been done before and it’s never been even close to a reality in this game – in the UFC,” McGregor said. “To do it on such a monumental stage like this, of course, this will be one of my shining moments.

“I believe in everything I have here that I will put this man away. But I am prepared for five rounds. … Let’s enjoy this moment right now because it took so long to get here. So many hours went into getting the UFC into New York.

“Now here we are with a super fight and champion versus champion. These are all historic moments. Let’s enjoy this historic moment for what it is.”

Matt Parrino is a digital producer and writer for UFC.com. Follow him on Twitter at @MattParrinoUFC

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