Dana White recalled that the card for UFC 205 was the biggest in the company’s history. However, one of the most memorable aspects of the whole weekend took place just days before, as Conor McGregor laid into Jeremy Stephens at the pre-fight press conference.
McGregor yelled out ‘who the f**k is this guy’ when referring to Stephens, who is one of the best Iowan UFC fighters of all time (you can find the whole list if you visit clutchbet.com).
This happened after the American announced his belief that he was the hardest-hitting fighter at 145 pounds. The Irish star quickly chirped back and left the audience, as well as other fighters in laughter. But, how have the careers of both fighters panned out since that moment and what Stephens remembers about the infamous press conference?
Biggest Night Of McGregor’s Career
McGregor was cheered to the rafters following his comment, which was likely helped by a massive Irish contingent being in New York for UFC 205 that weekend. The fight headlined the biggest event in the UFC’s history, as it was the first MMA event in New York since 2016, and only the second numbered UFC event in the state following UFC 7, which was staged in Buffalo.
McGregor’s main event against Eddie Alvarez was only the second time in company history that two fighters from different weight classifications had competed for the same title. The only previous occasion came when Georges St-Pierre defeated B.J. Penn.
It was the biggest night of McGregor’s career, as he came a two-weight UFC champion following a stunning TKO finish of Alvarez in the second round. The win secured McGregor the Performance of the Night bonus. Interestingly, McGregor has only won once since that fight, which includes defeats in his previous two against Dustin Poirier.
Stephens Beaten At UFC 205
After the comments made by Stephens at the pre-fight press conference before UFC 205, the pressure was really on the American to perform. However, he wasn’t able to live up to his own hype of being the hardest hitter in the division, as he was beaten in the featherweight division by Frankie Edgar. Stephens suffered a unanimous decision loss after five rounds in the last fight of the preliminary card before the main card action got underway in New York.
However, the American doesn’t appear to hold any grudges with the comments made by McGregor in the build-up to the fight, as he recently revealed that the commending wasn’t going to ‘break’ him. He also revealed that his mindset throughout his career was to get back up after getting knocked down.
The 36-year-old was released by the UFC at the start of 2022, which ended his 15-year association with the company. During his career, he fought on 33 occasions in the UFC and won the Knockout of the Night performance on three occasions. Stephens would also pick up the Fight of the Night bonus on six occasions. However, he would never challenge for a world title in the UFC and is now competing in PFL.
What Else Happened At UFC 205?
The main card at UFC 205 was stacked with superstars, and three titles were defended. Tyron Woodley and Stephen Thompson delivered the Fight of the Night, with the bout for the welterweight title ending in a draw. The Women’s Strawweight title was also defended on the main card, with Joanna Jedrzejczyk claiming a dominant unanimous decision victory against Karolina Kowalkiewicz.
Yoel Romero claimed victory in the middleweight division against Chris Weidman, with his flying knee KO earning a Performance of the Night bonus. The only other fight on the main card saw Raquel Pennington beat Miesha Tate by unanimous decision.
