Conor McGregor (22-4) knocked out Donald Cerrone (36-14) early in the first round of the main event of UFC 246 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
To open the first, McGregor broke Cerrone’s nose with his shoulder, hitting him numerous times from the clinch. He then finished the fight with a stunning head kick and a barrage of punches to end Cowboy’s night 40 seconds into the bout.
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McGregor made his return to the Octagon following more than a year layoff. The former two-division champ last fought against unbeaten lightweight king Khabib Nurmagomedov in a submission loss in October 2018. McGregor served a six-month suspension stemming from a post-fight brawl between McGregor and Nurmagomedov’s camps, but spent nine additional months on the shelf before returning to fight Cerrone at welterweight Saturday night.
McGregor entered the fight with just one win in three-plus years. He announced ahead of his brawl with Cerrone that he wants to fight three times in 2020, so competing at least once more certainly shouldn’t be an issue with his quick finish.
With the win, McGregor has been guaranteed a future shot at the lightweight championship, whether it’s Nurmagomedov or Tony Ferguson holding the belt following their April 18 bout. People will also be clamoring for McGregor to meet with BMF titleholder Jorge Masvidal.
Cerrone entered his tilt with McGregor on the back of consecutive losses, suffering a knockout loss against Justin Gaethje after falling to Ferguson via doctor stoppage.
