UFC athletes gearing up for Calgary fight
Conor McGregor returns to UFC ring following plea deal
CALGARY — Former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez was relieved Conor McGregor avoided jail, even if it means a delay in reclaiming the belt.
McGregor, who took the title from Alvarez in 2016, agreed to a plea deal Thursday in New York City in relation to charges stemming from a backstage fracas in April.
The Irishman avoided a felony conviction that could have severely curtailed his career.
Alvarez, currently the world No. 3, and No. 4 Dustin Poirier are the headliners of Saturday's UFC Fight Night in Calgary.
They're angling for a shot at the title, currently held by undefeated Khabib Nurmagomedov (26-0-0). But the Russian is more interested in McGregor (21-3-0), now that he's free to fight.
Alvarez would still rather see McGregor in the octagon than in a prison jumpsuit.
"He gets to continue to fight. It would be a sin for him to be locked up in his prime years," Alvarez said Thursday in Calgary. "He's a competitor and he's back out able to compete. It's good for him and everyone."
McGregor became the first fighter in UFC history to hold titles in two weight divisions simultaneously — lightweight and featherweight — with a knockout victory over Alvarez at UFC 205 at Madison Square Garden.
But the UFC stripped McGregor of both crowns because he took too long to defend them.
He then ran afoul of the law when he threw a handcart into the window of a bus full of fighters, including Nurmagomedov, after a news conference promoting UFC 223 in April.
As part of Thursday's plea deal, McGregor will perform community service and will participate in an anger management program.
The legal dust settling around McGregor provides some clarity for Alvarez (29-5 and one nocontest) and Poirier (23-5 and one no-contest) heading into their rematch at Scotiabank Saddledome.
Their bout a year ago at UFC 211 in Dallas ended in a no-contest when Alvarez illegally kneed Poirier in the head.
"I'm still fighting for the world title after I beat Eddie Alvarez Saturday," Poirier said. "The only thing that's going to change is I'm going to have a little bit more down time and going to hang out with my daughter.
"I think with a win on Saturday, I'm next in line."
Saturday's fight is the last on Alvarez's current contract. The 34-year-old from Philadelphia felt he carried his loss to McGregor into the cage with him against Poirier last year.
"I took the loss to Conor, thought about it too much and you begin to get inside of your own head when you lose," Alvarez explained.
"Every once in awhile in my career I've been guilty of overthinking. It slows you down. Now you have think, process and then do versus just being instinctual and trusting what you already have inside you.
"When I fight like that I dominate guys. Everything I need to beat Dustin, to win that title back and do everything I need to do is inside me. I've got to go in the cage and let it go."
Poirier remains annoyed at Alvarez's behaviour after their previous bout and wonders if the knee to his head was intentional.
"He went on social media saying I quit and I wanted out of that fight," the 24-year-old from Lafayette, La., said. "That makes me feel like it wasn't an accident."
"You just don't say (stuff ) like that after you do something illegal. The way he reacted after, I know what kind of guy he is."
The UFC returns to Calgary almost six years after injuries decimated the main card. Just one of the 10 originally-billed fighters actually competed in UFC's debut in the city.
Brazil's Jose Aldo versus Erik Koch was to be the feature fight in 2012 when Aldo was featherweight champ, but both men were too injured to battle.
Aldo, now No. 2 with a career 26-4 record, gets another chance in Calgary as the co-main bout with No. 4 Jeremy Stephens (2814).
The top women's fight features world No. 1 strawweight Joanna Jedrzejczyk (14-2) and No. 5 Tecia Torres (10-2).