tting an easier fight, as well as getting more money. So, it was a no-brainer on my end.The Philadelphia native says once he has e

In a year that already has proved to be massive for the UFC, with one major card after another, UFC 205 on Nov. 12 at Madison Square Garden in New York looks to be the biggest and most important of them all. In honor of such a marquee event, ESPN.com is providing dedicated previews to all 13 bouts on the card, breaking down whats at stake and projecting who will win, along with quotes and statistics for each fighter.Lightweight championship: Eddie Alvarez (28-4) vs. Conor McGregor (20-3)Odds as of Nov. 11: Alvarez +120; McGregor -140Dana Whites thoughtsWhat Conor McGregor is trying to accomplish, winning two titles within a year of each other, and having fought at 170 pounds in between? Its crazy.Thats what I love about Conor. Most fighters, when they get out of the Octagon, they dont even want to f---ing talk about fighting again. They want time off. They want this and that. That kid limped out of the Octagon after his last fight against Nate Diaz [in August] and said, I want to be on that New York card. Ive never seen anything like it. The closest thing weve ever had to that was [former light heavyweight champion] Chuck Liddell.When Conor said that, I said, Dude, you just came off an absolute five-round war. Im worried about the leg you are limping on. He said, I know my body better than you know my body. Dont worry about my leg. Let my leg be the last thing youre worried about. I mean, what are you gonna do? Thats f---ing awesome.The Diaz fight never made sense, especially the second one. You can only have so many of those wars in your career -- at your own weight class, let alone at 170 -- but thats what makes Conor special.A lot of people have talked about Conor and his wrestling abilities, his ground game. Eddie Alvarez is a very good wrestler, and he has got serious punching power. If Conor beats Eddie, I think the whole, Conor cant fight wrestlers thing needs to end.I think Alvarez is going to approach this fight the same way he approached his fight against Anthony Pettis. Conor is going to have to deal with that pressure from a very well-rounded fighter.Whats at stake?The UFC is under new ownership, but the sport belongs to McGregor.If there were a record for breaking records, McGregor would hold it.His 13-second knockout of Jose Aldo last December is the fastest finish in UFC title fight history. A $3 million disclosed purse at UFC 202 in August is the richest of all time. According to White, UFC 205 will break Madison Square Gardens record gate of $13.5 million, set in 1999 by a heavyweight boxing unification match between Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield. That would mean it would also break the UFCs all-time gate record at UFC 129 in 2011.And, of course, should McGregor win on Nov. 12, he would become the first fighter in UFC history to hold two titles simultaneously.Potential two-weight champion, McGregor said. Superfight. Champion versus champion. First time a champion has gone up. These are historic moments.McGregors version of history conveniently omits BJ Penn, who attempted to hold two belts simultaneously in 2009. Penn was the lightweight champion when he moved up in weight to challenge Georges St-Pierre at UFC 94, but Penn lost via TKO.Still, McGregors point is well taken. Although it might not be the first time two UFC champions have squared off, the circumstances are truly historic. For one, this will mark McGregors third consecutive appearance without defending his 145-pound championship -- which has rubbed many fighters the wrong way and, at times, appeared to have put him at odds with the UFC itself.White has already stated, very clearly, that if McGregor wins, he will immediately have to vacate one of his titles. Whether McGregor truly intends to challenge the promotion on that remains to be seen, but publicly, he has suggested he will.Vacate? I dont know, well see about that, McGregor said. I mean, why not defend them both? I fight every week. I only fought last week. I can defend them both.The Irish superstar is teasing a big announcement immediately after Saturdays title fight. His relationship with the UFC and his attempts to re-write history are interesting -- next year may somehow prove to be even more intriguing.After McGregor, Alvarez plans to make UFC great again.After winning the UFC lightweight championship in July, Alvarez wanted an easy fight. Hes not even shy about saying so.A title run that consisted of Gilbert Melendez, Anthony Pettis and Rafael dos Anjos? Youre absolutely right Alvarez wanted an easy fight. And he says he sees one in McGregor.I came into the UFC [after vacating the Bellator MMA title], and they put me against every single killer in the division, Alvarez said. I didnt know why. I thought it was because I was a foreign champion, from a foreign promotion. But I thought they put me against the murderers row and I survived. I won the world title.I wasnt kidding to the media when I said I thought this style [of] matchup was a good style matchup for me. I thought it would be a lot easier fight than what theyve been feeding me. On top of that, financially it was the best decision. So, I was killing two birds with one stone. I was getting an easier fight, as well as getting more money. So, it was a no-brainer on my end.The Philadelphia native says once he has enjoyed this break of fighting McGregor, his focus will turn back to the real contenders of the division -- something he hinted might be lacking in the current UFC landscape.I will go down as the best lightweight in history, Alvarez said. It will start with him, but then Ill make UFC great again. Ill continue to fight the No. 1 guys who belong here.I sincerely felt I deserved a break, and this will be my break. And then well get back to some real s---. Fighting the No. 1 contenders who fight the best guys and earn their way to a title, not guys with funny accents who can sell tickets.Key statsAlvarez: 28-4 record (3-1 UFC); none of the previous seven lightweight champions lost in their first title defenseAlvarez: 15 of 28 wins by knockoutMcGregor: 20-3 record (8-1 UFC); seeking to become third man to win UFC titles in two divisions (Randy Couture, Penn)McGregor: 17 of 20 wins by knockout (six in UFC, tied for most since 2013)BreakdownMcGregor early. Alvarez late.That grossly oversimplifies things -- and its more of a guideline than a rule -- but theres truth in it. McGregor is one of the most dangerous first-round fighters since ... perhaps ever. Alvarez is perseverant, and his wrestling could take over late.Alvarez will have to persevere through a dangerous opening 10 minutes, though. Theres really nowhere to hide from McGregor on the feet, and Alvarez wont have the reach advantage Nate Diaz enjoyed. That means Alvarezs game plan will likely consist of going forward -- duplicating McGregors pressure and forcing him to be the one who steps back. Alvarez is a smart, determined grappler along the fence, and he has shut down dangerous strikers before.So many have doubted McGregors ability to handle a well-conditioned grappler. The inevitable matchup has been given its own name: The wrestler question. This should get answered one way or another at UFC 205.Prediction:?McGregor by first-round KO.You make the call: Fake Wholesale Shoes . The Browns coaching search remains incomplete. Wholesale Shoes From China . Arsenal failed to take full advantage of its main rivals stumbles on Saturday as substitute Gerard Deulofeu levelled with a hard shot from a tight angle in the 84th minute to give Everton a deserved point. Ahead of a crucial fortnight that will see them play against Napoli in the Champions League, Manchester City and Chelsea, Arsenal leads by five points ahead of Liverpool and Chelsea. https://www.wholesaleshoesforcheap.com/ . The Islanders dealt Thomas Vanek to the Montreal Canadiens after less than a year on Long Island. Meanwhile, the Oilers dealt long-time sniper Ales hemsky to the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday for a fifth-round pick in 2014 and a third-rounder in 2015. Wholesale Shoes USA . Calgary scored on the first shift, and Michael Cammalleri scored twice as the Flames cruised to a 5-2 win over the Washington Capitals on Saturday. Wholesale Shoes For Sale . McCarthy, a player who played some games in the second tier for Wigan at the start of this season, would go on to shine inside Evertons midfield, outplaying the man he was brought in to replace, on one of the grandest stages in English football. On Saturday, it was fitting that Manchester Uniteds most recent dagger into the chest was delivered by Frenchman Yohan Cabaye, a wonderfully gifted central midfielder who put on an outstanding effort for Newcastle at Old Trafford. SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador -- Regional soccer officials said Tuesday that they are investigating claims by Salvadoran national team players that they were offered money to help Honduras advance in World Cup qualifying play.Honduras leads Canada in the CONCACAF competition to determine which teams in the region advance to the 2018 World Cup. It would lose its current second place in Group A only if Canada won by a wide margin in a game Tuesday night with El Salvador, which has already been eliminated from qualifying.Salvadoran players said in Vancouver, British Columbia, that a Salvadoran businessman offered them money to help Honduras by winning, tying or losing by a close margin against Canada.The regional soccer body CONCACAF said in a statement that it is aware of the claims made by El Salvadors national team in relation to their upcoming qualifying match for the 20118 FIFA World Cup and is looking into the matter.ddddddddddddCONCACAF did not release any details, saying: No further information can be given at this moment in order not to jeopardize any possible investigations.Mexico, which already qualified, was playing Honduras on Tuesday night. But a lopsided Honduras loss to Mexico combined with a lopsided Canadian victory could knock Honduras out of qualifying for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.Ricardo Padilla, the businessman named by the Salvadoran players, told local media in El Salvador that he had indeed offered the players money and said he had done so before.Hugo Carrillo, an official at the Salvadoran Soccer Federation, said that we are going to cooperate 100 percent to clear this situation up. ' ' '