Conor McGregor stole the show when the UFC first brought an event to New York in 2016.
Not only did ‘Notorious’ become the first dual-weight champion in company history at Madison Square Garden, but he also issued an iconic post-fight speech.
McGregor was the first of four UFC double champsCredit: Zuffa LLC via Getty
The fun all started during a pre-fight press conference a few days earlier.
McGregor, who at this point was already a global superstar, was unsurprisingly late and the event began without UFC 205’s main attraction.
However, he soon turned up, danced his way onto the stage while wearing a ‘Gucci mink’ coat, and was ready to fight the lightweight titleholder a little early.
“Sorry I’m late, I just don’t give a f***,” McGregor said to a chorus of cheers.
The 35-year-old proceeded to take his opponent’s belt and almost start a brawl in the process.
Alvarez stormed toward McGregor and snatched his strap back, prompting ‘Mystic Mac’ to stand up and start a confrontation that threatened to get ugly.
‘The Underground King’ threw a chair in McGregor’s direction and he reacted angrily after interpreting it as an attempt to assault him in front of the world.
UFC CEO Dana White was joined by security who struggled to stop the Irishman from physically attacking Alvarez and trying to hurl the chair at his head.
McGregor’s fight with Alvarez quickly became a grudge match
‘Notorious’ tried to hit his opponent with a chair WWE-style
The MMA legend was temporarily carried off stage before returning and continuing to trade verbal shots with his rival who chastised his decision to collect social welfare before becoming a rich fighter.
Ultimately, McGregor got the last laugh when he knocked Alvarez out in a career-best performance before making $100 million for a subsequent fight with boxing icon Floyd Mayweather.
New York has hosted several massive UFC fights since then and will do so again on Saturday night when Jiri Prochazka and Alex Pereira’s light heavyweight title fight headlines the promotion’s 30th-anniversary card.
Britian’s Tom Aspinall will feature in the co-main event of the evening as he takes on streaking Russian knockout artist Tom Aspinall for the interim heavyweight title.
Fans will be hoping someone can emulate McGregor by creating several historic moments in the days before and during the latest ‘Big Apple’ UFC show.
