Conor McGregor headlines epic UFC card at Madison Square Garden on Saturday

Three UFC title fights, seven active or former champions and Conor McGregor’s bid for history take place Saturday as the organization brings its best possible card to its New York debut.

“The fight to get here was ridiculous. It should’ve never happened, but it made it a bigger event — more special — and I wouldn’t change it,” UFC President Dana White said.

New York state law banned mixed martial arts fighting for several years dating from the sport’s early days, when fewer rules and regulations were in place. But after years of UFC lobbying, Gov. Andrew Cuomo in April signed legislation legalizing the sport.

White said his goal was to create “the biggest, baddest fight card in history” for Madison Square Garden, a historic venue that staged the first Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier fight and has seen bouts featuring boxing legends Rocky Marciano and Mike Tyson.

UFC starts here with Ireland’s McGregor (20-3), expected to draw a massive throng of supporters as he attempts to become the first UFC fighter to simultaneously wear two championship belts. The featherweight champion will meet Philadelphia’s gritty lightweight champion, Eddie Alvarez (28-4), in Saturday’s main event.

“I predict I rearrange his face,” McGregor said. “He’s too easily hit. It’s happened his whole career. I’m going to hit him, he’ll fall. One round [likely], but if he can drag it into the trenches, he’ll never be the same again.”

Alvarez won the belt in July by knocking out Rafael dos Anjos with first-round punches.

“I’m prepared to completely destroy Conor McGregor and silence this whole damn crowd,” Alvarez said at Thursday’s news conference for UFC 205.

McGregor is fighting for the third time this year, following two epic welterweight (170 pounds) battles against Nate Diaz that included McGregor’s victory by majority decision in August.

“I’m fresh, ready to go and I’m going to shut this man up, trust me on that. … I feel he’s damaged goods,” McGregor said. “A second belt, no one’s come close. I’ll be immortalized.”

The card also includes welterweight champion Tyron Woodley’s first defense against second-ranked Stephen Thompson (13-1) and a women’s strawweight title bout between champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk (12-0) and Karolina Kowalkiewicz (10-0).

Woodley is a slight underdog at Nevada sports books, but is coming off a victory over rugged former champion Robbie Lawler.

At 115 pounds, Jedrzejczyk embodies the fitness, power punches and savage attitude of the organization’s toughest competitors.

“I want to show people there are no limits in life,” Jedrzejczyk said. “If you dream big, if you work hard, you can become whoever you want to be.”

The pay-per-view card also includes former middleweight champion Chris Weidman’s New York homecoming bout against Cuban Yoel Romero. If Weidman wins, he is likely to get a title shot at Michael Bisping.

And former women’s bantamweight champion Miesha Tate returns after dropping her belt to Amanda Nunes to fight Raquel Pennington, Tate’s former student on “The Ultimate Fighter” reality television series.

The Kevin Gastelum-Donald Cerrone welterweight fight was yanked from the show Friday when Gastelum failed to appear for the weigh-in after a history of weight trouble.

“When this goes down on Saturday night, when everyone starts walking in and the fights start happening — I rarely stop and take it all in, we’re always going 100 mph — but I will on Saturday,” White said.

lance.pugmire@latimes.com