{"id":124542,"date":"2020-01-18T01:00:37","date_gmt":"2020-01-18T09:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=124542"},"modified":"2020-01-17T11:24:58","modified_gmt":"2020-01-17T19:24:58","slug":"conor-mcgregor-returns-to-the-ufc-as-heavy-favorite-vs-cerrone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/conor-mcgregor-returns-to-the-ufc-as-heavy-favorite-vs-cerrone\/","title":{"rendered":"UFC 246: Conor McGregor Returns to the UFC as Heavy Favorite vs. \u2018Cowboy\u2019 Cerrone"},"content":{"rendered":"

Conor McGregor will step into the Octagon for the first time in 15 months on Saturday, when he takes on veteran brawler Donald Cerrone in the main event of UFC 246 in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n

\"Conor
Conor McGregor (left) will make his return to the UFC on Saturday against Donald \u201cCowboy\u201d Cerrone in the main event of UFC 246. (Image: AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

McGregor is considered a significant favorite heading into the welterweight bout, with DraftKings Sportsbook listing the Irishman as a -335 favorite over \u201cCowboy\u201d Cerrone (+260).<\/p>\n

McGregor Ready to Show World His \u2018Best Version\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Last time McGregor (21-4) fought in the UFC, he was choked out by Khabib Nurmagomedov in the fourth round of their lightweight championship tilt at UFC 229. That fight is best remembered for the brawl after the bout, which saw both Nurmagomedov and McGregor hit with fines and suspensions by Nevada regulators.<\/a><\/p>\n

Now, McGregor makes his long-awaited return against another of the most popular fighters in the UFC. And while his year off has been filled with controversy<\/a>, he says that fans are going to see a new Conor McGregor, one that is dedicated to making a return to greatness in 2020.<\/p>\n

I want to be the best version of myself,\u201d McGregor said, via the Albuquerque Journal. \u201cEveryone is saying they want the old Conor, the Conor that fought in 2016, the Conor that fought Eddie [Alvarez]. I feel I\u2019m in a better place than that. I have a better skill set than that. I\u2019m more experienced. That\u2019s certainly a drive of mine, to be a better version of myself.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Cerrone (36-13) has a long and storied career as a contender in the UFC, even if he\u2019s never quite been considered one of the most elite fighters in the world. He did once get a title shot in 2015, losing in just over a minute to Rafael dos Anjos in a lightweight championship bout.<\/p>\n

Cowboy Already Cashing In<\/strong><\/h2>\n

An upset win over McGregor could get Cowboy back into title contention one more time at age 36. But win or lose, Cerrone will benefit from getting the chance to fight the UFC\u2019s biggest draw.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re asking me if I re-did a contract, yeah, I did. So thanks Conor, appreciate that,\u201d<\/strong> Cowboy told reporters on Thursday. \u201cBut moving forward with my next six fights, they\u2019re all money fights. So it\u2019s not just this one. We did a contract where they do all of them. I\u2019m stoked.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

As popular as McGregor is, there will be a sizable chunk of the UFC fan base \u2013 perhaps even the majority \u2013 who will be rooting for Cerrone to get what would be the biggest win of his career. If that upset happens, Cowboy says he\u2019d be more than happy to run it back against \u201cThe Notorious.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI would, because I don\u2019t care,\u201d Cerrone told MMA Junkie when asked about a potential rematch. \u201cI would love to get right back on and get in there in March. So yeah, [I would do an immediate rematch].\u201d<\/p>\n

The much more likely scenario, however, is that McGregor gets the best of Cerrone, likely in the early rounds. McGregor is likely to be able to overwhelm Cowboy in what is probably going to be a striking contest, as the Irishman should be able to stop his opponent from taking the fight to the ground, where Cerrone might have the edge.<\/p>\n

While Cowboy could have a chance to be the fresher fighter in the later rounds, it\u2019s more likely that McGregor finds a way to finish things off in the first couple of rounds \u2013 something he has predicted in the leadup to the fight.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s hard not to respect Donald right now at this stage. He has my respect,\u201d McGregor told reporters. \u201cAnd for the Mystic Mac prediction, it will be a KO.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Conor McGregor will step into the Octagon for the first time in 15 months on Saturday, when he takes on veteran brawler Donald Cerrone in the main event of UFC 246 in Las Vegas. McGregor is considered a significant favorite heading into the welterweight bout, with DraftKings Sportsbook listing the Irishman as a -335 favorite […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42,"featured_media":124544,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,1074],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nConor McGregor Returns to the UFC as Heavy Favorite vs. Cerrone<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Conor McGregor is favored over Donald \u201cCowboy\u201d Cerrone in their welterweight clash in Las Vegas this Saturday at UFC 246.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/conor-mcgregor-returns-to-the-ufc-as-heavy-favorite-vs-cerrone\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Conor McGregor Returns to the UFC as Heavy Favorite vs. Cerrone\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Conor McGregor is favored over Donald \u201cCowboy\u201d Cerrone in their welterweight clash in Las Vegas this Saturday at UFC 246.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/conor-mcgregor-returns-to-the-ufc-as-heavy-favorite-vs-cerrone\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Casino.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Casino.OrgNews\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-01-18T09:00:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-01-17T19:24:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/McGregor-Cerrone-UFC-246.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"841\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Casino.org Staff Writer\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Casino_Org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Casino_Org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Casino.org Staff Writer\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/conor-mcgregor-returns-to-the-ufc-as-heavy-favorite-vs-cerrone\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/conor-mcgregor-returns-to-the-ufc-as-heavy-favorite-vs-cerrone\/\",\"name\":\"Conor McGregor Returns to the UFC as Heavy Favorite vs. Cerrone\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/conor-mcgregor-returns-to-the-ufc-as-heavy-favorite-vs-cerrone\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/conor-mcgregor-returns-to-the-ufc-as-heavy-favorite-vs-cerrone\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/McGregor-Cerrone-UFC-246.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-01-18T09:00:37+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-01-17T19:24:58+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/8c48bf89dc86da77b4d856c7b3b78d77\"},\"description\":\"Conor McGregor is favored over Donald \u201cCowboy\u201d Cerrone in their welterweight clash in Las Vegas this Saturday at UFC 246.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/conor-mcgregor-returns-to-the-ufc-as-heavy-favorite-vs-cerrone\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/conor-mcgregor-returns-to-the-ufc-as-heavy-favorite-vs-cerrone\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/conor-mcgregor-returns-to-the-ufc-as-heavy-favorite-vs-cerrone\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/McGregor-Cerrone-UFC-246.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/McGregor-Cerrone-UFC-246.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":841,\"caption\":\"Conor McGregor (left) will make his return to the UFC on Saturday against Donald \u201cCowboy\u201d Cerrone in the main event of UFC 246. 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