McGregor shines in return and destroys Cerrone in 40 seconds at UFC 246

McGregor added another knockout to his record. Photo: Reproduction / Instagram@UFC

Conor McGregor is back. After more than a year away, the Irishman returned this Saturday night (18) in Las Vegas (USA) and showed, in the main fight of the UFC 246, because he is considered the biggest star in the history of mixed martial arts. With a spectacle of sound, lights and a veritable parade of celebrities in the VIP seats of the T-Mobile Arena, McGregor did not disappoint inside the Octagon, with yet another memorable performance for his record. The clock has not completed even one full revolution since the start of the duel against Donald Cerrone and McGregor was already celebrating in front of an uproarious audience.

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With the usual precision, but focus and concentration that had been missing in his last performances, McGregor needed just 40 seconds to obliterate Cerrone, one of the most important historical names in Ultimate to not have won a title in the organization, and put his rivals in the welterweight division (up to 77kg) on ​​alert.

The triumph marked McGregor's first victory since November 13, 2016, when the Irishman beat Eddie Alvarez and captured his second simultaneous belt in Ultimate – a hitherto unprecedented feat in the organization. Throughout his career, “Notorious” recorded 22 victories and four defeats, as well as another unprecedented record, becoming the first athlete to achieve knockout victories in three different weight divisions within the organization.

The fight

Right at the start of the fight, Donald Cerrone managed a good dodge, avoiding a straight left from McGregor, but ended up hitting the Irishman's knee. With Cerrone a little shaken, the two went to the clinch and McGregor delivered at least four consecutive blows with his shoulders to Cerrone's face.

The American even managed to free himself from the clinch, but ended up not connecting with a kick, falling under McGregor's feint and receiving a powerful high kick, followed by a flying knee. From then on, what was seen was a Conor McGregor as in his best days, with a very sharp left hand, practically no wasted blows and frightening firepower – even though he was in a division above the one he had previously competed in.

McGregor was punished for around 20 seconds, with a combination of punches in front of a Cerrone who was increasingly shrinking, until the moment when central referee Herb Dean intervened and stopped the fight, exactly at the 40-second mark. After the fight, in an interview still in the octagon, the Irishman recalled the achievements achieved and said that he intends to remain in the under-77kg division.

“I made history here tonight. I'm the first fighter in UFC history to get knockouts in three different categories. The UFC can hand out fictitious belts to other fighters, they can win their belts, but there are things that only I do. I like this division, I'm feeling really good and I think this is where I belong. I feel like there's still room for improvement, but I'll get there. I’m going to celebrate with my family and go home, to train more and more”, he said.

Cerrone, in turn, preferred to celebrate his love for the sport and congratulate Conor in his post-fight speech. “He destroyed me with his shoulders and then hit me with that high kick, there's nothing to say,” said Cerrone, before being interrupted by his grandmother still in the octagon. “At the end of the day, I don’t care. I'm going to keep fighting, I'm fine, I'll be back in a little while, I have my family here and I'll stay in the Octagon”, said the Cowboy.

Check out the UFC 246 results:

MAIN CARD

Conor McGregor derrotou Donald Cerrone by technical knockout (punches) at 40s of R1

Holly holm won Rachel Pennington in unanimous decision of the judges (30×27, 29×28, 30×27)

Heavyweight (up to 120.2 kg.): Alexey Oleinik won Maurice Greene by submission (armbar) at 4m38s of R2.

brian kelleher won Ode Osbourne by submission (guillotine) at 2m49s of R1.

Carlos Diego Ferreira won Anthony Pettis by submission (rear naked choke) at 1m36s of R2.

PRELIMINARY CARD

Roxanne Modafferi won Maycee barber in unanimous decision of the judges (30×27, 30×27 and 30×26)

Sodiq Yusuf won André Fili in unanimous decision of the judges (29×28, 29×28 and 29×28)

Askar askarov won Tim Elliott  in unanimous decision of the judges (29×28, 30×27, 30×27)

Drew dober won Nasrat Haqparast by technical knockout (punches) at 1m10s of R1.

Aleksa Camur beat Justin Ledet in a unanimous decision by the judges (29×28, 30×27 and 30×27)

Sabina mazo won JJ Aldrich in a split decision by the judges (29×28, 29×28 and 28×29).