LAS VEGAS — Conor McGregor has not been the brash, bombastic, over-the-top character during this fight week. He has been subdued and downright respectful of his opponent Donald Cerrone, a stark contrast to the McGregor fans saw against Khabib Nurmagomedov, Nate Diaz and others.
That does not mean, though, that the former two-belt UFC champion is not dialed in for this comeback fight.
“It’s a different response between me and Donald, but it’s still a high-intense bout,” McGregor said. “Make no mistake, I’m coming with all my intent and all my skills to put Donald away.”
The stakes are incredibly high for both men Saturday night when they meet in the UFC 246 main event at T-Mobile Arena in a welterweight clash. For McGregor, it’s a chance to rebound, not only from a loss to Nurmagomedov in October 2018 (his last fight), but to rehab his tarnished image after a 2019 rife with outside-the-cage issues. For Cerrone, it’s an opportunity to rid the biggest knock on him: that he cannot win the big one. As “Cowboy” noted earlier in the week, it doesn’t get much bigger than a McGregor fight in Las Vegas.
McGregor is the most popular fighter in UFC history, the promotion’s biggest money-mover and the former UFC lightweight and featherweight champion. Cerrone, meanwhile, is one of the most active and successful fighters of all time. He has the most wins (23) and the most finishes (16) in UFC history, among other records. But he has never been in a pay-per-view main event until now and has no UFC titles to his name. There is no gold belt on the line Saturday, but this bout is bigger in some ways than one for a championship. It’s one for legacy and the future.
McGregor (21-4) has not won a fight since he brutalized Eddie Alvarez on Nov. 12, 2016 to win the UFC lightweight title at UFC 205. The past three-plus years have been tumultuous, though still lucrative for the Irishman with big fights against Floyd Mayweather in boxing and his blood feud with Nurmagomedov in the UFC. McGregor, 31, has promised to stay active this year, fighting as many as three times or more. But first he has to deal with a very game “Cowboy.”
“There’s still pressure here, right?” McGregor said. “There’s still weight on the shoulders. I enjoy it. I enjoy these moments. This is what I love to do, right? It’s good to be back.”
Cerrone (36-13, 1 NC) is on a two-fight losing streak, getting finished by top lightweights Justin Gaethje and Tony Ferguson. The New Mexico resident was on a three-fight winning streak and closing in on a title shot prior to that. Cerrone, 36, is known for his exciting striking style and has vowed to keep it standing against McGregor, rather than take it to the ground where he might have an advantage.
In the co-main event, former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Holly Holm faces Raquel Pennington in a rematch of Holm’s UFC debut in 2015. It’s an important fight in that division. ESPN has Holm ranked No. 6 and Pennington at No. 7 at women’s 135 pounds.
Holm (12-5), the 38-year-old former boxing champion, is coming off a loss to bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes at UFC 239 last July. Pennington (10-7), a 31-year-old from Colorado, beat Irene Aldana by split decision in her last bout at UFC San Antonio in July.
Also on the UFC 246 card, former lightweight champion Anthony Pettis faces Diego Ferreira in an important 155-pound clash, prodigy Maycee Barber meets women’s MMA pioneer Roxanne Modafferi in the flyweight division and action fighters Andre Fili and Sodiq Yusuff meet in a featherweight bout.
The lineup:
• Welterweight: Conor McGregor (21-4, -330) vs. Donald Cerrone (36-13, +260)
• Women’s bantamweight: Holly Holm (12-5, -140) vs. Raquel Pennington (10-8, +110)
• Heavyweight: Aleksei Oleinik (57-13-1, +110) vs. Maurice Green (8-4, -140)
• Lightweight: Anthony Pettis (22-9, +200) vs. Diego Ferreira (16-2, -250)
• Women’s flyweight: Roxanne Modafferi (23-17, +650) vs. Maycee Barber (8-0, -1000)
• Featherweight: Andre Fili (20-6, +115) vs. Sodiq Yusuff (10-1, -145)
• Flyweight: Tim Elliott (16-9-1, +120) vs. Askar Askarov (10-0-1, -150)
• Lightweight: Drew Dober (21-9, +260) vs. Nasrat Haqparast (11-2, -330)
• Light heavyweight: Aleksa Camur (5-0, -125) vs. Justin Ledet (9-2, -105)
• Bantamweight: Brian Kelleher (19-10, +115) vs. Ode Osbourne (8-2, -145)
• Women’s flyweight: Sabina Mazo (7-1, -115) vs. JJ Aldrich (8-3, -115)