LAS VEGAS, Jan. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- He is back!
Monster Energy congratulates Conor "The Notorious" McGregor on his
first-round TKO victory against Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone at UFC 246
in Las Vegas on Saturday night. In
the main event fight at sold-out T-Mobile Arena, the 31-year-old
mixed martial arts icon from Dublin,
Ireland, demolished his opponent within only 40 seconds for
a successful comeback to UFC fighting after a 15-month hiatus.
As one of the most anticipated fights in recent history, UFC 246
drew an audience of over 19,000 spectators at T-Mobile arena and
millions watching via pay-per-view across the globe. The stakes
were high for former two-division champion McGregor, who was
looking to make a fresh start in the UFC after his lightweight
title bout loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov in October 2018.
McGregor chose a certified UFC legend as the opponent in his
comeback bout: Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone is part of Monster Energy's
roster of elite UFC athletes and holds the records for most wins
(23), most finishes (16), and post-fight bonuses (18) in UFC
history. Plus, the 36-year-old who trains at his legendary BMF
Ranch in New Mexico had taken on
every fight offered over the last years and stepped into the
Octagon ten times since 2016.
Adding to the challenge, McGregor made his return in a new
weight class. He was last seen fighting at 155 pounds and was now
facing Cowboy in the welterweight division. This had UFC pundits
asking what McGregor at 170 pounds would look like?
Fast, aggressive and extremely dangerous is what it looked like.
Starting off the fight, McGregor exploded out of his corner and
attacked Cerrone with a winging left hand. Cerrone managed to duck
the blow and the two fighters locked into a clinch, during which
McGregor surprised Cowboy with punishing shoulder blows that
bloodied his nose.
Already bleeding a few seconds into the fight, Cerrone stepped
back, only to be caught by a brutal left kick to the chin that
dropped him to the ground. It only took a few more seconds for
McGregor to finish Cowboy off with punches on the ground before
referee Herb Dean ruled the fight a
TKO at the 00:40 mark.
It was over so fast, Cerrone (36-14, 1 NC) did not land a single
strike. Draped in the flag of his native Ireland, McGregor celebrated the victory – his
first since taking the lightweight title from Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205 – in front of the
capacity crowd at T-Mobile Arena.
"I like this division. I feel really good. But I came out of
here unscathed. I'm in shape. We've got work to do to get back to
where I was," said McGregor upon winning the main event fight at
UFC 246 in Las Vegas on Saturday.
He also found words of respect for his opponent. "Thank you Cowboy,
I appreciate you. You are a legend in this game."
Saturday night's victory brings McGregor's professional career
record to 22-4 and adds another milestone achievement. "I made
history here tonight. I set another record. I'm the first fighter
in UFC history to get knockout victories at featherweight, at
lightweight and now welterweight," said McGregor in his post-fight
interview inside the Octagon.
Stopping Cowboy in 40 seconds marks the second-fastest win of
McGregor's career, right behind his 13-second knockout of
Jose Aldo at UFC 194 in December 2015. In his storied career, McGregor
has set new pay-per-view records in combat sports, including the
boxing match against eleven-time five-division boxing world
champion Floyd Mayweather Jr.
watched by 5 million viewers in August
2017. Decorated with multiple Fighter of the Year awards,
McGregor became the first UFC fighter to simultaneously hold
championships in two weight divisions (lightweight and
featherweight).
So what's next for McGregor? In his ringside interview on
Saturday night, McGregor said he will be keeping his options open
in the welterweight division, where reigning UFC Welterweight
Champion Kamaru Usman and BMF Belt holder Jorge "Gamebred" Masvidal
are high-profile targets. "Any one of these fools can get it," said
McGregor. "All of them. Every single one. It does not matter."
At the same time, MMA experts including UFC President
Dana White predict a rematch between
McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov for the 155-pound title after
their last bout broke pay-per-view records for the sport. Whatever
happens, the game has changed now that Notorious is back.
"I'm excited about the future. I'm not going to dwell on this
victory. It's back in the gym and back to work. Who is next doesn't
matter, the 'when' is more interesting," McGregor said in
Las Vegas on Saturday night,
adding: "The whole world lights up when I fight, so I want to get
back out there again. Soon enough, we'll see what happens."
Conor "The Notorious" McGregor and Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone are
amongst Monster Energy's elite UFC team along with Jorge "Gamebred"
Masvidal, Jon Jones, Donald "Cowboy"
Cerrone, Daniel Cormier, Dominick
"Dominator" Cruz, Chris 'The All American' Weidman, Tyron "The
Chosen One" Woodley, Max Holloway,
Yair Rodriquez, T.J. Dillashaw,
Jessica-Rose Clark, Li Jingliang and
Gökhan Saki.
For more on Conor "The Notorious" McGregor and Monster Energy's
MMA athletes visit http://www.monsterenergy.com Follow Monster
Energy on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
###
About Monster Energy:
Based in Corona, California,
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traditional, Monster Energy supports the scene and sport. Whether
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skateboard, or the rock and roll lifestyle, Monster Energy is a
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the way of life lived by athletes, sports, bands, believers and
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http://www.monsterenergy.com.
SOURCE Monster Energy