1. Who won Conor McGregor vs Cowboy fight at UFC 246? The pair clashed in the main event at UFC 246 in Las Vegas on Saturday night. Luke Brown @lukedbrown. Sunday 19 January 2020 06:36.
2. Conor McGregor holds all the UFC cards after comeback win over Cowboy Cerrone. “With how Khabib won the first time and how famous Khabib has become, we’re looking at Hagler-Hearns,” White.
3. Cowboy Cerrone Talks To ESPN's Brett Okamoto Ahead of his UFC 246 main event vs Conor McGregor, Donald Cerrone sits down with ESPN to discuss all things Cowboy.

• Who Won Conor Mcgregor Vs Cowboy Fight
• Who Won Conor Mcgregor Vs Cowboy

LAS VEGAS — Conor McGregor is back!

Conor McGregor made a resounding return to the Octagon, finishing Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone in just 40 seconds of the first round Saturday night at UFC 246. Conor McGregor partied his face off in Vegas after beating Cowboy Cerrone in spectacular fashion. Conor celebrated his win at Encore Beach Club, after entering the Octagon Saturday night after a.

What was expected to be a fan-friendly fight ended up being a one-sided affair as the former featherweight and lightweight champion needed only 40 seconds to stop Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone in the main event of UFC 246 at T-Mobile Arena.

It had been 1,160 days since McGregor last had his hand raised in victory, and he was matched up against the UFC's all-time leader in performance bonuses in Cerrone. The last time 'Mystic Mac' was in the octagon, he suffered a fourth-round submission at the hands of nemesis, Khabib Nurmagomedov, at UFC 229 in October 2018. That fight will likely most be remembered for the melee that broke out afterward and left McGregor suspended for six months. Prior to that, McGregor was stopped in the 10th round by Floyd Mayweather Jr. in an August 2017 boxing match.

You would have to go all the way back to November of 2016 when McGregor became the first fighter in UFC history to hold world titles in two different weight classes simultaneously when he stopped Eddie Alvarez in two rounds and added the lightweight title to his featherweight crown.

There were obvious questions surrounding McGregor's desire to fight considering the amount of money he has made and the controversies he had found himself in that range from punching a man in an Irish pub to allegations of sexual assault.

Those questions were answered emphatically in front of a rabid crowd of 19,040 fans in the sold-out arena that came to see McGregor. Among the fans, a litany of celebrities were cageside as everyone from New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady to lineal champion Tyson Fury to Matthew McConaughey and Dave Bautista were present.

It was expected to be a drag-out brawl at welterweight between the two fighters, but McGregor wasted little time on the attack. After missing with a left hand, McGregor clinched and plowed his shoulder into Cerrone's face. As the two separated, McGregor shocked Cerrone with a head kick that rocked Cowboy badly.

In a blink of an eye, McGregor was all over his wounded opponent and punished him with a bevy of power shots until referee Herb Dean pulled him off at the :40 mark. The arena broke into a frenzy after the initial shock of McGregor's dominant performance. Afterward, McGregor showed his fallen opponent respect by hugging him and his family.

The build to this fight was far different than what took place ahead of McGregor-Nurmagomedov. That fight was filled with bad blood that spilled into the post-fight melee. This version of McGregor was respectful and left the trash-talking at the door ahead of the fight. He saved all of that energy for the fight when he blitzed Cerrone.

The UFC later informed the media that Cerrone was headed to the hospital.

McGregor said afterward that he would remain in the 170-pound weight class and promises there will be hell to pay for anybody who wants a piece of him. There is no bigger fight that can be made than McGregor vs. Jorge Masvidal, who was seated cageside with his BMF title. But there are a plethora of other opponents that include welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, lightweight contender Justin Gaethje, the winner of April's lightweight title fight between Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson. And there's always a third fight with Nate Diaz.

The future is up in the air but one thing is for sure: Mystic Mac is going to be a major player in 2020.

Conor McGregor vs. 'Cowboy' Cerrone results

12:30 a.m.: McGregor swings and misses immediately. Right hand lands by McGregor. Conor BLASTS Cerrone with a left head kick! McGregor rushes in and pummels him with strikes. Down he goes! He’s punishing him! It’s OVER!!!!!!!

HE. IS. BACK.
🇮🇪 @TheNotoriousMMA CLOSES THE SHOW EARLY! WOW! #UFC246pic.twitter.com/0B0NXbi6pY

Who Won Conor Mcgregor Vs Cowboy Fight

— UFC (@ufc) January 19, 2020

12:25 a.m.: This crowd is white hot as Cowboy and McGregor make their entrances. Bruce Buffer with the introductions. It's time to go!

12:15 a.m.: It's finally time. A wide range of celebrities are seated cageside. Tom Brady, Tyson Fury, Dave Bautista, Claressa Shields and a host of others are here to see Conor McGregor return against Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone.

Holly Holm wins stinker against Raquel Pennington

12:00 a.m.: The third round was much of the same. Holm decided to clinch and occasionally throws a combination. Ultimately, she did more than Pennington and takes a unanimous decision with scores of 29-28, 30-27 and 30-27. The crowd hated it, and it won't do her any favors when it comes to securing a big fight. But you never know. A win is a win, I suppose.

11:53 p.m.: Another round of nothing. The crowd isn't pleased. Hard to tell who is winning. Pennington? I'll tell you who isn't winning. The fans.

11:48 p.m.: Nothing to talk about in the first round. Holm waited, Pennington attacked and they clinched along the cage for the entire round. You would think that Holm would use her superior striking, but she has decided that a clinch battle is the path to victory. Truly baffling.

11:35 p.m.: We're at the co-main event as Holly Holm and Raquel Pennington meet again in a rematch from their bout five years ago when Holm made her UFC debut. Holm won a contentious split decision and went on to accomplish big things in her UFC career as a champion in two different weight classes. Pennington had a shot at UFC gold but came up short against Amanda Nunes. She ended a two-fight losing streak when she beat Irene Aldana last July and hopes to avenge her loss to Holm.

Aleksei Oleinik submits Maurice Greene in sloppy affair

11:21 p.m.: In a sloppy fight, Aleksei Oleinik submitted Maurice Greene with an armbar. It was bad. Oleinik held on to a headlock in the first. Some things happened and then he finally secured the armbar in the second. Nothing to see here. Next fight, please.

10:56 p.m.: Two fights and two stoppages. We're blowing through this card and up next is a pair of heavyweights as Aleksei Oleinik takes on Maurice Greene in a fight that few see going the distance.

Brian Kelleher makes short work of Ode Osbourne with first-round guillotine submission

10:52 p.m.: After starting off fast, Osbourne found out quickly that there were levels to this game as Brian Kelleher took him down, got Osbourne to expose his neck and sunk in a deep guillotine that elicited a submission at the 2:46 mark of Round 1. Kelleher had him trapped to the point where Osbourne had to tap out with his feet. Impressive.

10:42 p.m.: Up next is Brian Kelleher vs. Ode Osbourne. This fight was moved to the main card after Alexa Grasso badly missed weight and her fight with Claudia Gadelha was canceled. Big opportunity for Osbourne, who made a splash on Dana White's Contender series.

Carlos Diego Ferreira submits Anthony Pettis in the second round

10:31 p.m.: Carlos Diego Ferreira made mincemeat out of Anthony Pettis and submitted him with a rear-naked choke in the second round. After applying pressure to nullify Pettis' striking in the first round, Ferreira closed the distance in the second, put him on the mat, worked him over, took his back and sank in a neck crank to get the tap. Big win for Ferreira, and there will be plenty of questions about the future of Anthony Pettis.

10:21 p.m.: We're kicking off UFC 246 with a lightweight clash between former UFC and WEC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis and Carlos Diego Ferreira. Pettis needs this win against a rising Ferreira in order to keep his name above water in a crowded division.

Conor McGregor vs. 'Cowboy' Cerrone undercard results

10:00 p.m.: With scores of 30-27, 30-27 & 30-26, Roxanne Modaferri ends Maycee Barber's unbeaten streak as the biggest underdog on the card. Both fighters were all class afterward. Hopefully, Barber can make a full recovery.

Great show of class and respect between Roxy and Maycee #UFC246 pic.twitter.com/tePTyOjOPt

— GIF Skull - Wrote 1 Good Tweet. Follow @GIFSkullJr (@GIFSkull) January 19, 2020

9:57 p.m.: Between rounds it was revealed that Barber has a partial ACL tear and her mobility is limited. She eats several combinations to open the third round and just doesn't have the leverage to fire back. Barber is on her back and fighting, even sweeping at one point and working an Americana submission. But the injury is too much. This is going to be a big win for Modafferi.

9:47 p.m.: Modafferi is giving Barber hell in there. Kept her on her back and controlled her in the first round and is doing much of the same in the second. Barber finally reverses and lands some ground and pound, but Modafferi sweeps and is all over Barber. Barber also has a nasty gash on her head and is spilling blood all over the canvas. Barber is going to enter the third round down 2-0 and will need a finish.

9:35 p.m.: One of the most intriguing fights of the night is up next as Maycee Barber gets another chance to show that she's the real deal as she squares off with seasoned veteran Roxanne Modafferi in a flyweight showdown. Barber is recognized as one of the fastest rising stars in the UFC and aims to stay undefeated.

9:24 p.m.: 'Super' Sodiq Yusuff continues to climb the ladder in the featherweight division with a unanimous decision over Andre Fili (29-28, 29-28 and 29-28) where he showcased his striking and grappling to earn the decision. His stock arrow is pointing up.

9:12 p.m.: We're in the middle of a smoker between Sodiq Yusuff and Andre Fili as T-Mobile Arena slowly begins to fill up. You can tell that this is a different crowd from your usual UFC event, and the atmosphere here should be special. As for Yusuff vs. Fili, it's been a back-and-forth battle that has slowed down a bit in the second as Yusuff has had Fili on his back for much of the round and has had control. Could either be 1-1 or 2-0 Yusuff as we enter the third round.

Conor McGregor vs. 'Cowboy' Cerrone fight card

Main card

• Conor McGregor vs. Donald Cerrone; Welterweight
• Holly Holm vs. Raquel Pennington; Women's Bantamweight
• Aleksei Oleinik vs. Maurice Greene; Heavyweight
• Brian Kelleher vs. Ode Osbourne; Bantamweight
• Anthony Pettis vs. Carlos Diego Ferreira; Lightweight

Preliminary card

• Roxanne Modafferi vs. Maycee Barber; Women's Flyweight
• Andre Fili vs. Sodiq Yusuff; Featherweight
• Drew Dober vs. Nasrat Haqparast; Lightweight
• Chas Skelly vs. Grant Dawson; Featherweight
• Sabina Mazo vs. JJ Aldrich; Women's Flyweight
• Tim Elliott vs. Askar Askarov; Flyweight
• Aleksa Camur vs. Justin Ledet; Light Heavyweight

LAS VEGAS -- Everyone was looking for Conor McGregor's left hand. Instead, it was his left leg.

McGregor cracked Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone to the chin with a left head kick in the opening seconds of their UFC 246 main event fight Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena. The end came soon after. In his comeback fight, McGregor was victorious via TKO in just 40 seconds.

It marked the second-fastest win of McGregor's career, the quickest being his 13-second knockout of Jose Aldo in December 2015.

Afterward, McGregor knelt in the center of the Octagon and put his head in his palms. Then, he grabbed the Irish flag from his team, paraded around with it and climbed the cage to celebrate further.

'The so-called experts of the game when they break down my skill-set, they say I'm just a fighter with a left hand, which is highly disrespectful and uneducated,' McGregor said.

'I knew he was planning to knock me out with a head kick. I knew this is what Donald would have been envisioning. ... But at the same time I know that Donald has many discrepancies in his game, with the leans and dips under certain attacks that can also set him up for the high kick. So the high kick was something I thought I could catch him with, also.'

The stakes were incredibly high for both men. For McGregor, it was a chance to reestablish himself in the sport following a loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov in October 2018 (his previous fight) and a 2019 rife with outside-the-cage issues. Last year, McGregor pleaded guilty to punching an older man at a Dublin bar, and the New York Times reported he is the subject of two alleged sexual assault investigations in his native Ireland.

For Cerrone, it was an opportunity to rid the biggest knock on him: that he cannot win the big one. As Cowboy noted earlier this 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 Cerrone had never been in a pay-per-view main event until Saturday night and has no UFC titles to his name. There was no gold belt on the line Saturday, but this bout was bigger in some ways than one for a championship.

Who Won Conor Mcgregor Vs Cowboy

'I like this [welterweight] division,' McGregor said in his postfight interview in the Octagon. 'I feel really good. But I came out of here unscathed. I'm in shape. We've got work to do to get back to where I was.'

UFC president Dana White said he was 'blown away' by how McGregor looked as a welterweight.

'He looked unbelievable. He won't hear another peep from me about fighting at 170,' White said. 'He looked fast, he looked sharp, he looked strong. It was all about Conor. It has nothing to do with Cowboy being shot or anything like that.'

McGregor said he was keeping his options open for his next fight and wanted to stay active. In talking about a potential next opponent, McGregor, who had been noticeably more respectful in the lead-up to Saturday's fight, was back to being brash.

'Any one of these fools can get it,' McGregor said. 'All of them. Every single one. It does not matter.'

To start the bout Saturday night, McGregor came forward with a huge, winging left hand. Cerrone ducked it, and the two men went into a clinch. From there, McGregor hit Cerrone with his shoulder and his elbow, which Cerrone said surprised him and busted him up early. McGregor then landed a knee, and upon the separation from the clinch, McGregor caught Cowboy with a kick to the chin.

Cerrone was wobbled, and McGregor pounced. Cerrone went down to his knees, and McGregor continued the onslaught until referee Herb Dean called off the bout and ruled it a TKO.

Afterward, Cerrone was transported to the hospital for precautionary reasons because of injuries to his head and face. He was later released.

McGregor outlanded Cerrone 19-0 in significant strikes. He noted that he now has finishes in three UFC divisions -- featherweight, lightweight and welterweight. McGregor said the UFC can strip his titles -- which it has done twice before due to inactivity defending them -- but cannot take away those records.

'Etch my name in history one more time,' said McGregor, who also has the third-most knockouts or TKOs among fighters at 170 pounds or lighter with eight.. 'For the Irish people. For my mom back home.'

McGregor (22-4) had not won a fight since he stopped Eddie Alvarez in the first round on Nov. 12, 2016, to win the 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 had to deal with a very game Cerrone.

'I'm excited about the future,' McGregor said afterward. 'I'm not going to dwell on this victory. It's back in the gym and back to work. Who is next doesn't matter, the 'when' is more interesting. The whole world lights up when I fight, so I want to get back out there again. Soon enough, we'll see what happens.'

Cerrone (36-14, 1 NC) has lost three straight fights, also 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 before that. Cerrone, 36, is known for his exciting striking style and vowed to keep it standing against McGregor rather than take it to the ground, where he might have an advantage.

'I love the sport,' Cerrone said afterward. 'I'm gonna keep fighting.'

UFC 246 drew 19,040 to T-Mobile Arena for a gate of $11,089,129.30, the fourth highest in UFC history. McGregor was the headliner in three of the top five gates.