Eddie Alvarez: The sport needs guys like Conor McGregor

UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor is certainly a polarizing figure in the MMA community. While some applaud McGregor for his ability to talk trash to his opponents on the microphone and generate an enormous audience for his fights, others simply aren’t fans of McGregor’s brash persona. While his trash talk certainly doesn’t usually go over well with his opponents, it can’t be denied that fans tune in to McGregor’s fights.

For example, McGregor set the record for tickets selling out in the shortest amount of time when he headlined ‘UFC Fight Night: Dublin’ against Diego Brandao in 2014. In addition, McGregor’s UFC 202 rematch with Nate Diaz back in August set the UFC pay-per view record, dethroning UFC 100 as the biggest pay-per view in company history. In addition, McGregor’s first fight with Nate Diaz, UFC 196, also ranks as the third biggest pay-per view in company history behind UFC 100, and UFC 202.

Ahead of UFC 205, where Eddie Alvarez will put his lightweight title on the line when he fights McGregor, the lightweight champ spoke on CSN Philly to discuss the fight, as well as why he believes Conor McGregor is actually good for the sport:

“The sport needs guys like this. Because, a lot of fighters, even myself, have been guilty of not connecting with the fans and just concentrating on fighting, and some people want more than fighting. Some people want to see the person, and the emotion of the person, and he’s totally that. So the sport needs a guy like this, but the sport also needs balance. It needs humility, it needs balance, it needs a lot of things. So my intention on November 12th is to bring a bit of humility to this guy.”

While McGregor will be entering the fight on a win, which returned him to the win column after his UFC 196 defeat to Nate Diaz back in March, Alvarez will be riding a 3-fight win streak into the fight that saw him pick up back to back controversial split decisions before claiming the lightweight championship in dominant fashion by TKOing Rafael dos Anjos back in June.

When McGregor & Alvarez step into the Octagon at UFC 205, how do you see the fight playing out? Give us your predictions below PENN Nation!