Final · 18 Jan 2020

McGregor def. Cerrone

KO/TKO · head kick · Round 1 · 0:40

McGregor vs Cerrone — Welterweight main event · UFC 246

McGregor (22-4-0) vs Cerrone (36-14-0)

Welterweight main event
5 rounds
UFC 246 • 18 Jan 2020
Las Vegas, Nevada

What happened

Conor McGregor needed just 40 seconds on his welterweight return. He opened with unusual shoulder strikes in the clinch that bloodied Donald Cerrone, then landed a head kick and follow-up punches for a first-round stoppage — his first outing since the 2018 loss to Khabib.

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Signature moments
Signature moments

Analysts

No verified pre-fight analyst picks are logged for this historical bout.

Track record rows appear only when a timestamped source has been reviewed.

Archive

Pre-fight material — kept for transparency, folded by default.

Tale of the Tape

Records & career stats — as they entered fight night
McGregor vs Cerrone
McGregor Cerrone
  1. OutputSig. strikes landed / min 5.32 4.41
  2. Striking def.Striking defense 54% 53%
  3. DurabilitySig. strikes absorbed / min 4.66 4.48
  4. Takedown def.Takedown defense 67% 74%
  5. FinishingFinish rate 91% 75%
22-4-0
Record
36-14-0
2-3 last 5
Recent formRecent formWin–loss record over the fighter’s last five bouts, newest first, as carried in their UFC/FightMetric career stats.
0-4, 1 NC last 5
37
Age
43
1.75 m
Height — Cerrone leads
1.85 m
188 cm
Reach — McGregor leads
185 cm
Southpaw
StanceStanceWhich side a fighter leads from — a striking term, not a religious one. Orthodox: right-handed, left foot and hand forward (the common default). Southpaw: the mirror image, right side forward (usually a left-hander). Switch: changes between the two during a fight.
—
91%
Finish rateFinish % — McGregor leadsFinish rateThe share of a fighter’s wins that ended inside the distance — by KO/TKO or submission — rather than going to the judges’ scorecards. Higher means more finishes.
75%
19
Wins by KO/TKOKO/TKO wins — McGregor leads
10
1
Wins by submissionSub wins — Cerrone leads
17
5.32
Sig. strikes landed / minStrikes / min — McGregor leadsSignificant strikes landed per minuteAverage number of significant strikes a fighter lands for every minute of fight time — a read on striking output and pace. From UFC/FightMetric career stats.
4.41
4.66
Sig. strikes absorbed / minAbsorbed / minSignificant strikes absorbed per minuteAverage number of significant strikes a fighter takes for every minute of fight time. Lower is better — it means they get hit less often. From UFC/FightMetric career stats.
4.48
54%
Striking defenseStrike def.Striking defenseThe percentage of opponents’ significant strikes that do not land — strikes slipped, blocked or evaded. Higher is better. Not the same as striking accuracy, which counts your own strikes that land. From UFC/FightMetric.
53%
67%
Takedown defenseTD def. — Cerrone leadsTakedown defenseThe percentage of opponents’ takedown attempts that are stuffed. Higher means harder to put on the mat. From UFC/FightMetric.
74%
8:02
Avg. fight timeAvg. timeAverage fight timeThe mean length of the fighter’s bouts (minutes:seconds) — a rough read on whether they tend to finish early or go the distance. From UFC/FightMetric.
09:40
Ireland
Nationality
USA
SBG Ireland · Dublin
Team
BMF Ranch

Career stats per UFC.com; recent form is each fighter's last five bouts. Numbers reflect records coming into fight night. Bars compare each stat on a fixed scale; the “Edge” marker flags the leading corner where the gap is meaningful. The snapshot plots five career rates — output, striking defense, durability (strikes absorbed, inverted), takedown defense and finish rate — each normalised on its own scale.

Pre-fight analysis — how we saw it going in

Case for McGregor

McGregor arrived at UFC 246 after more than a year away from MMA, moving back to welterweight after the Khabib Nurmagomedov loss. His danger was still built around fast southpaw entries, a sharp left hand, and the ability to turn one clean opening into a finish before an opponent could settle.

Case for Cerrone

Cerrone was the taller veteran and one of the UFC's most experienced finishers, with a Muay Thai base and a long record of wins across lightweight and welterweight. His path was to survive the early McGregor speed, make the fight longer, and pull the returning star into kickboxing exchanges where his volume and clinch craft could matter.

What We Were Watching For

  • Whether McGregor could restart quickly after the long layoff and immediately own the first exchange.
  • Cerrone's ability to keep range and avoid letting McGregor turn the opening clinch into damage.
  • How McGregor's welterweight speed and timing looked without a prolonged feeling-out process.

Fighters

Conor McGregor
22-4-0 · Welterweight · The Notorious
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Donald Cerrone
36-14-0 · Welterweight · Cowboy
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