Conor McGregor makes his long-awaited return to the Octagon on Saturday night when he faces Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone in the main event at UFC 246 in Las Vegas.
And it will be far from an easy fight for the former “Champ Champ” as McGregor looks to get his first win since he knocked out Eddie Alvarez at Madison Square Garden way back in November of 2016.
Cerrone, the Budweiser-drinking, motorcycle-riding, cowboy hat-wearing UFC veteran and fan favorite is as battle tested as they come. He’s been wanting this money fight with McGregor for quite some time and now it is his and I don’t expect him to take anything for granted heading into this one.
Let’s look at the top 5 reasons to watch this fight card.
1. Conor’s return.
It’s been about 15 months since we last saw McGregor in the Octagon and it’s been just over three years since we’ve seen him win a fight in the Octagon. His last fight, of course, was an ugly loss to the Khabib Nurmagomedov that ended with a nasty brawl and lengthy suspensions for both fighters. We’ve heard this week that McGregor is in the best shape of his life and he’s been more focused in this training camp than he was during his camp for the Nurmagomedov fight. All those words are nice, but they’re just that – words. On Saturday we’ll find out just how serious McGregor is at getting back to being one of the best fighters in the fight game. Cerrone won’t be overwhelmed by the bright lights this fight will be fought under and he won’t be shy about trading with McGregor right form the get-go. This fight isn’t an easy one for McGregor and could be the biggest one of his career, as a loss would do even more damage to his star power.
2. Can Cowboy upset McGregor?
The short answer to that question is – yes, absolutely. Cerrone is coming off back-to-back losses to Justin Gaethje and Tony Ferguson, which really doesn’t mean much for this fight because those two fighters are two of the best in the world. Cowboy has fought five times since McGregor’s last fight so there is no ring rust here. He has said this week that he wants to stand and bang with McGregor, which might not be the best strategy but I could definitely see Cowboy knocking McGregor out with his striking or with a leg kick to the head. McGregor better be careful and take care of business quickly, or Cowboy could very well have his hand raised Saturday night.
3. Holy Holm looks to rebound.
Holm will be back in the Octagon for the first time since her loss to Amanda Nunes last July as she faces Raquel Pennington in the co-main event. The former champ has only won two of her last seven fights and another loss here would really make you wonder what Holm has left to give in the fight game. Pennington went five rounds with Nunes in 2018 and would like nothing more than to add a win over Holm to her resume. This bantamweight showdown should be a fun one.
4. Anthony Pettis returns to the lightweight division.
The last time we show “Showtime” Pettis he was losing to Nate Diaz at UFC at UFC 241 last August. That fight was at 170 pounds, this one will be back at 155 for Pettis when he squares off with Carlos Diego Ferreira in a lightweight bout. Pettis is always must-see TV and this should be another good one that kicks off the PPV.
5. It’s going to be a circus.
There really isn’t anything like a McGregor fight, which extends to the few days leading up to fight night. The pageantry and hoopla leading up until the start of the first round just makes every one of his fights an event that you need to watch. This one will be no different. Get your popcorn ready.