UFC 246: McGregor vs. Cerrone | Event Profile, Full Results & Legacy
- Conor McBragger
- May 16
- 4 min read
Updated: Jun 14
Introduction
UFC 246: McGregor vs. Cerrone took place on Saturday, January 18, 2020 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The card drew 19,040 fans, generated a gate of $11.1 million — the third-highest in UFC history at the time — and a reported 1.35 million pay-per-view buys. It was the first numbered UFC event of 2020 and the most commercially anticipated welterweight headline since the Diaz rematch at UFC 202.
The headline was simple: the biggest star in combat sports returning from 15 months out — his longest layoff to that point — against one of the most respected and active veterans the lightweight and welterweight divisions had ever produced. Conor McGregor had not won a fight since November 2016 and had not stepped into the Octagon since his fourth-round submission loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229. His opponent, Donald Cerrone, arrived with the most Octagon appearances of any fighter on the roster and a freshly resumed welterweight campaign.
What followed lasted forty seconds. McGregor opened with shoulder strikes in the Thai clinch that broke Cerrone's nose, followed with a left high kick, and finished with punches on the canvas. It is among the fastest TKOs in a UFC pay-per-view main event in the modern era, and it briefly resurrected the McGregor era before his subsequent leg break against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 closed it again.
Contents
• FAQ
Quick Stats
📅 Date: Saturday, January 18, 2020
📍 Venue: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
👥 Attendance: 19,040
💰 Gate: $11,087,629 (3rd-highest in UFC history at the time)
📺 PPV Buys: ~1,350,000
📡 Broadcast: Pay-per-view (ESPN+ in USA)
🏆 Main Event: Conor McGregor vs. Donald Cerrone — Welterweight (170 lbs)
✅ Result: McGregor def. Cerrone via TKO (head kick & punches) — R1, 0:40
🥇 Title On The Line: None (non-title welterweight bout)
The Build-Up
McGregor had been gone a long time. His last appearance, the lightweight title challenge against Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 in October 2018, had ended in a fourth-round submission loss and a post-fight brawl that drew NSAC suspensions for both camps. In the 15 months that followed, the Irishman dealt with two separate criminal investigations and persistent questions about whether his combat sports career was finished.
Cerrone came in on the opposite trajectory but with his own concerns. The 36-year-old veteran had fought 24 times in the Octagon — more than any active roster member — and had built one of the most beloved highlight reels in the sport. The McGregor fight was contested at welterweight at McGregor's request.
Main Event: McGregor vs. Cerrone
McGregor walked out first to a thunderous reception. From the Thai clinch, McGregor delivered shoulder strikes that opened a gash on Cerrone's nose. McGregor disengaged briefly and threw a left high kick. It landed flush on Cerrone's chin. Cerrone dropped. McGregor followed him to the canvas with punches. Referee Herb Dean stepped in at 40 seconds of round one.
It was the fastest finish in a McGregor main event since the 13-second knockout of José Aldo at UFC 194 in December 2015. For Cerrone, it was his second consecutive first-round stoppage loss.
Co-Main Event: Holm vs. Pennington
Over three rounds, Holm used her elite footwork and boxing range to outpoint Pennington from the outside. All three judges scored it 29-28 or 30-27 in Holm's favour.
Full Results
Main Card (Pay-Per-View)
Conor McGregor def. Donald Cerrone — TKO (head kick & punches) — R1, 0:40 — Welterweight (POTN)
Holly Holm def. Raquel Pennington — Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) — Women's Bantamweight
Aleksei Oleinik def. Maurice Greene — Submission (armbar) — R2, 4:38 — Heavyweight (POTN)
Carlos Diego Ferreira def. Anthony Pettis — Submission (rear-naked choke) — R2, 1:46 — Lightweight (POTN)
Brian Kelleher def. Ode Osbourne — Submission (guillotine) — R1, 2:49 — Bantamweight (POTN)
Preliminary Card (ESPN/ESPN+)
Drew Dober def. Nasrat Haqparast — KO (punches) — R1, 1:10 — Lightweight (POTN)
Sodiq Yusuff def. Andre Fili — Unanimous Decision — Featherweight
Askar Askarov def. Tim Elliott — Unanimous Decision — Flyweight
Roxanne Modafferi def. Maycee Barber — Unanimous Decision — Women's Flyweight
Bonuses & Awards
🥇 No Fight of the Night was awarded.
🥇 Performance of the Night ($50,000 each): Conor McGregor (R1 TKO, 0:40), Aleksei Oleinik (R2 armbar, 4:38), Brian Kelleher (R1 guillotine, 2:49), Carlos Diego Ferreira (R2 RNC, 1:46), and Drew Dober (R1 KO, 1:10).
Records & Milestones
• McGregor's first welterweight UFC fight since UFC 202 — a 41-month gap between 170 lb appearances.
• One of the fastest TKO finishes in a UFC PPV main event in the modern era: 40 seconds.
• $11.1 million gate — at the time the third-highest in UFC history, behind only UFC 205 and UFC 229.
• Five Performance of the Night bonuses awarded — reflecting the card's finishes-heavy prelim block.
Legacy & Impact
UFC 246 is remembered for two things above all else: the 40-second finish, and the brief illusion of a McGregor comeback that never quite materialised. Commercially, UFC 246 confirmed that McGregor's draw was undimmed by losses or layoffs. The 1.35 million PPV buys made it the second-biggest non-Khabib McGregor pay-per-view to that point. For the UFC's strategy heading into 2020, it was a critical data point: McGregor remained the single most bankable star in combat sports.
FAQ
How long did the McGregor vs. Cerrone fight last?
Forty seconds of the first round. McGregor finished Cerrone via TKO at 0:40 of round one. Referee Herb Dean stopped the fight.
Were Conor McGregor's shoulder strikes legal?
Yes. Shoulder strikes from the Thai clinch are legal under the Unified Rules of MMA. The Nevada State Athletic Commission confirmed the legality of the technique post-fight.
Why was UFC 246 contested at welterweight?
At McGregor's request. He wanted to avoid a weight cut after a 15-month layoff. Cerrone, who had competed at welterweight earlier in his career, accepted the terms.
Who received the UFC 246 post-fight bonuses?
No Fight of the Night was awarded. Five Performance of the Night bonuses ($50,000 each) went to: Conor McGregor (R1 TKO of Cerrone), Aleksei Oleinik (R2 armbar of Greene at 4:38), Brian Kelleher (R1 guillotine of Osbourne at 2:49), Carlos Diego Ferreira (R2 RNC of Pettis at 1:46), and Drew Dober (R1 KO of Haqparast at 1:10).
References
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