McGregor vs Cowboy – everything you need to know

On 18^th January 2020, inside T-Mobile Arena, history will be made as former two-division champion Conor “The Notorious” McGregor makes his long-awaited return to the Octagon^®in a welterweight bout against one of the most exciting athletes in MMA, Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone. After 16 months away from the sport, Dublin-born McGregor is the overwhelming favourite heading into the bout and will aim to use his notorious left-hand strike to get the better of Cerrone. Conor “The Notorious” McGregor is one of just seven fighters in UFC history to win UFC titles in two separate weight classes, and the first to hold the two division titles simultaneously.

Cerrone – more commonly known as “Cowboy” – is the current record holder for most wins (23) most finishes (16) and most post-fight bonuses (18) in UFC history. Cowboy will undoubtedly bring his sharp skilled techniques with an underdog spirit into the bout. From Albuquerque, New Mexico, Cowboy has been in the Octagon five times since McGregor last fought and will be determined to use this to his advantage and cause a huge upset over the 31-year-old Irishman.

This headline event boasts two athletes with a wealth of experience and a passionate fanbase from around the world. On Saturday night, fans in the arena and those watching live at home will be waiting for that moment when highly decorated strikers McGregor and Cowboy touch gloves. This match up will deliver fireworks and an unforgettable night of sportsmanship, UFC^®246 also has an array of talented athletes, who are preparing to deliver an action-packed night in the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Russian constriction

Standing at 6’2”, the 42-year-old Russian heavyweight Aleksei “The Boa Constrictor” Oleinik will test his craft against Maurice “The Crochet Boss” Greene in T-Mobile Arena. Coming into UFC late in his career during 2014, Oleinik scored back-to-back “Performance of the Night” bonuses for his two first-round submission wins in 2018 and will be determined to repeat the feat once more against 6’7” Greene.

Illinois born “The Crochet Boss” has a current UFC record of 3-1 since coming to the organisation in 2018. Known for finishing fights on the canvas, Greene should anticipate even competition on the floor with a seasoned fighter like Oleinik. A convincing win against Oleinik would reflect the major hype surrounding Greene when he first joined UFC, But the American will need to show patience and maturity, with The Boa Constrictor well capable of capitalising on a fight as soon as his opponent’s guard goes down.

Remarkable women

Former UFC bantamweight champion Holly “The Preacher’s Daughter” Holm fights for the first time since July 2019, as she goes head to head with Raquel “Rocky” Pennington. The co-main event can also be considered a grudge encounter, with the pair first facing off in 2015 when The Preacher’s Daughter won the three-round bout via split decision. Coming off the back of a win against Irene Aldana in July 2019, Colorado-born Pennington stands tall at 5’7” and will undoubtedly look to avenge her loss by defeating fellow countrywoman, Holm.

Also on the main card, Brazilian strawweight Claudia “Claudinha” Gadelha is looking to seal another title shot as she faces off against Mexican born Alexa Grasso. Hailing from Rio Grande Do Norte, Gadelha’s last two wins have come from the judges’ scorecards with her stamina and endurance ensuring she’s been a consistent title contender throughout the years. In her way, 26-year-old Grasso, who is well known for her ground & pound and submission work, will be no pushover as she awaits to bounce back from her most recent loss and come away with a victory.

In the prelims, there is a remarkable match-up of youth versus experience as 37-year-old Roxanne “The Happy Warrior” Modafferi squares up against 21-year-old flyweight Maycee “The Future” Barber. The highly touted Barber, who has a 3-0 record in the UFC, will enter her fight as a very heavy favourite, despite taking on arguably her toughest test to date in number eight-ranked women’s flyweight veteran Modafferi (2-4 UFC record), who is 16 years her senior. Barber’s lethal finishing style is the youngster’s prized asset and Modafferi will look to assert her experience in the Octagon to cause an upset.

It’s Showtime

Brazilian, Diego Ferreira who is currently on a five-fight win streak is eager to continue his success in the lightweight division when he takes on No.11 ranked lightweight Anthony “Showtime” Pettis. Ferreira is known as a well-rounded mixed martial artist who fell in love with the sport while training as a kid and now preps to step onto the biggest sporting stage of MMA to showcase his multi-skilled abilities. Ferreira and Pettis both prove strong ground game as well as powerful Jiu-Jitsu, this leads to a competitive match up and could keep fans on the edge of their seats.

American, Pettis a former fire fighter and MMA instructed who has had his share of hardship as well as the limelight, even featuring on commercials. Pettis has excellent stand up skills and is known to be creative in his game plan. Showtime enjoys keeping the fans entertained by his techniques, holds powerful KO and submission wins, you can count on it that he will be bringing a thrilling performance when he goes head to head with talented prospect Ferreira.

Don’t miss out on the action as it unfolds on Saturday night.

Main Card

Conor “The Notorious” McGregor vs. Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone

Holly “The Preacher’s Daughter” Holm vs. Raquel “Rocky” Pennington

Aleksei “The Boa Constrictor” Oleinik vs. Maurice “The Crochet Boss” Greene

Claudia “Claudinha” Gadelha vs. Alexa Grasso

Anthony “Showtime” Pettis vs. Diego Ferreira

Prelims

Roxanne “The Happy Warrior” Modafferi vs. Maycee “The Future” Barber

Andre “Touchy” Fili vs. Sodiq “Super” Yusuff

Drew Dober vs. Nasrat Haqparast

Chas “The Scrapper” Skelly vs. Grant “KGD” Dawson

Early Prelims

Aleksa Camur vs. Justin “El Blanco” Ledet

Tim Elliott vs. Askar “Bullet” Askarov

Brian “Boom” Kelleher vs. Ode Osbourne

Sabina “Columbian Queen” Mazo vs. JJ Aldrich

South African Fans can catch all the action on Supersport channel 211 from 5am on Sunday morning . 19 January 2020

prelims can be viewed on UFC fight pass