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- It’s been a long time waiting for former two-division UFC titleholder, Connor McGregor, to return the octagon. The heavy-handed leftie returns with a bout against “Cowboy” Donald Cerrone.
- After losing to arch-nemesis Khabib Nurmagomedov, the Irishman hopes to get back to glory. Winning his bout against Cerrone may get McGregor a rematch with Nurmagomedov.
UFC 246: Connor McGregor vs. Donald Cerrone
- When: January 18, 2020, 5:30 p.m. ET
- Where: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada.
- UFC Odds: Cerrone +240 vs. McGregor -310
McGregor vs. Cerrone
Analysis: Cerrone has fought five times since McGregor’s loss. However, Cowboy lost his two last fights against Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethje, so he’ll have to get rid of those ghosts before stepping into the octagon with McGregor.
There is no shortage of accolades for both fighters, they’re both legends in their own right, but Connor seems to have a slight edge in significant strikes landed per minute (5.27 vs. 4.34), striking accuracy (48 vs. 46), and takedown accuracy (62 vs. 36).
McGregor claims that he’s back to his old self, with none of the distractions that led to his loss against Nurmagomedov. But, there are still too many questions left unanswered whether McGregor has been too long out of the game.
There are two ways I see this fight going: A first-round KO by McGregor or a submission from Cerrone if the fight goes the full five rounds. Cowboy is no sucker on his feet, but, arguably, McGregor is better with his fists.
McGregor also has to be worried about losing to submission. If any of his previous losses are an indication of possible weaknesses, then McGregor’s ground game is worrisome. The Notorious’ camp, however, says Connor has improved his wrestling skills big time, but this remains to be seen.
Pick: McGregor KO in the first.
Holly Holmes vs. Raquel Pennington
UFC Odds: Pennington +110 vs. Holmes -140
Analysis: The former UFC bantamweight champ, Holly Holmes, steps into the octagon for the first time since her crushing loss to Amanda Nunes. The loss to Nunes was a psychological defeat to Holmes, as her record dropped to 2-5 over the past three years when once she held a 10-0 record in MMA.
Pennington, on the other hand, is on a 4-0 run but was also one of Amanda Nunes’ victims when she lost her title via TKO in the fifth round.
It’s not the first time these two fighters have competed; back in 2015, Holmes won a three-round bout via split decision. Frankly, though, this is a filler fight in a watered-down main card that’s meant to showcase McGregor and Cerrone.
Pick: Holmes via decision.
Aleksei Oleinik vs. Maurice Greene
UFC Odds: Oleinik +105 vs. Greene -135
Analysis: Oleinik is trying to get back to winning after having lost his previous two fights. The losses put a dent in what was a good run that saw Oleinik win four of his last five bouts.
Greene (8-3) is unranked but has won two of his three UFC bouts, suffering his first loss in the UFC in his last outing. At 33 years of age, Greene has almost a nine-year edge over Oleinik though there’s no questioning who has the most experience.
Whether or not Oleinik’s experience will get him through the fight remains to be seen, but I think Greene is the better overall fighter. If Greene can stay off the mat, he should be OK.
Pick: Greene via KO
