UFC 246 predictions: Is anyone picking Donald Cerrone against Conor McGregor in his return?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the UFC 246 main card in Las Vegas, featuring Conor McGregor vs. Donald Cerrone in the main event.

McGregor
vs.
Cerrone
Holm
vs.
Pennington
Greene
vs.
Oleinik
Ferreira
vs.
Pettis
MMA Junkie readers’
consensus picks
2019: 233-130 (64.19%)
mcgregor2020
McGregor
(53%)
holm2020
Holm
(82%)
oleinik2020
Oleinik
(64%)
pettis2020
Pettis
(63%)
Simon Head
@simonhead
2019: 149-72 (67.42%)
trophy copy 2019 Champion*
mcgregor2020
McGregor
holm2020
Holm
oleinik2020
Oleinik
pettis2020
Pettis
Nolan King
@mma_kings
2019: 141-75 (65.28%)
mcgregor2020
McGregor
holm2020
Holm
oleinik2020
Oleinik
pettis2020
Pettis
Ken Hathaway
@kenshathaway
2019: 236-127 (65.01%)
trophy copy 2018 Champion
cerrone2020
Cerrone
holm2020
Holm
oleinik2020
Oleinik
pettis2020
Pettis
Dan Tom
@DanTomMMA
2019: 235-128 (64.74%)
mcgregor2020
McGregor
holm2020
Holm
oleinik2020
Oleinik
pettis2020
Pettis
John Morgan
@MMAjunkieJohn
2019: 234-129 (64.46%)
cerrone2020
Cerrone
holm2020
Holm
oleinik2020
Oleinik
ferreira2020
Ferreira
Brian Garcia
@thegoze
2019: 234-129 (64.46%)
trophy copy 2017 Champion
mcgregor2020
McGregor
holm2020
Holm
oleinik2020
Oleinik
ferreira2020
Ferreira
Farah Hannoun
@Farah_Hannoun
2019: 132-78 (62.86%)
mcgregor2020
McGregor
holm2020
Holm
oleinik2020
Oleinik
pettis2020
Pettis
Mike Bohn
@MikeBohnMMA
2019: 228-135 (62.81%)
trophy copy 2014 Champion
cerrone2020
Cerrone
holm2020
Holm
oleinik2020
Oleinik
ferreira2020
Ferreira
Simon Samano
@SJSamano
2019: 228-135 (62.81%)
mcgregor2020
McGregor
holm2020
Holm
oleinik2020
Oleinik
ferreira2020
Ferreira
George Garcia
@MMAjunkieGeorge
2019: 225-138 (61.98%)
mcgregor2020
McGregor
pennington2020
Pennington
oleinik2020
Oleinik
pettis2020
Pettis
Abbey Subhan
@kammakaze
2019: 223-140 (61.43%)
mcgregor2020
McGregor
holm2020
Holm
oleinik2020
Oleinik
pettis2020
Pettis
Dave Doyle
@davedoylemma
2019: 157-114 (57.93%)
mcgregor2020
McGregor
holm2020
Holm
oleinik2020
Oleinik
pettis2020
Pettis
Matt Erickson
@MMAjunkieMatt
2019: 186-177 (51.24%)
mcgregor2020
McGregor
holm2020
Holm
greene2020
Greene
pettis2020
Pettis
Danny Segura
@dannyseguratv
2019: 0-0
mcgregor2020
McGregor
holm2020
Holm
greene2020
Greene
ferreira2020
Ferreira

The UFC kicks off 2020 with the return of its most bankable fighter.

UFC 246 takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.

(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)

In the main event, former dual champion [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] (21-4 MMA, 9-2 UFC) returns after a 15-month layoff to take on [autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag] (36-13 MMA, 23-10 UFC) in a welterweight bout. McGregor is more than a 3-1 favorite from the oddsmakers, and he’s the pick of 11 of our 14 MMA Junkie editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers.

In the co-main event, former women’s bantamweight champ [autotag]Holly Holm[/autotag] (12-5 MMA, 5-5 UFC) takes on [autotag]Raquel Pennington[/autotag] (10-7 MMA, 7-4 UFC). Holm is just a slight favorite, but she’s got a massive 13-1 lead in the picks with just one staff member taking Pennington in an upset.

At heavyweight, [autotag]Maurice Greene[/autotag] (8-3 MMA, 3-1 UFC) is a slight favorite against [autotag]Aleksei Oleinik[/autotag] (57-13-1 MMA, 6-4 UFC). But it’s Oleinik who has a whopping 12-2 lead in the picks.

And to open the main card, former lightweight champ [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag] (22-9 MMA, 9-8 UFC) is a sizable underdog against [autotag]Diego Ferreira[/autotag] (16-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC), who has won six straight fights. But it’s Pettis with a 9-5 lead in the picks.

[lawrence-related id=479629,480527]

A women’s strawweight fight between [autotag]Claudia Gadelha[/autotag] (17-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) and [autotag]Alexa Grasso[/autotag] (11-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC) was scheduled for the main card. But after Grasso missed weight by 5.5 pounds at Friday’s weigh-ins and came in at 121.5, the fight was canceled by the Nevada Athletic Commission. Grasso had been a 10-4 pick over Gadelha from our staff members in the fight, though it was Gadelha with a big 72 percent number from our readers..

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, McGregor (53%), Holm (82 percent), Oleinik (64 percent) and Pettis (63 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

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