# UFC 246
**UFC 246: McGregor vs. Cerrone** was a mixed martial arts pay-per-view event held by the [Ultimate Fighting Championship](https://www.edgepedia.org/ultimate-fighting-championship) on January 18, 2020 at the [T-Mobile Arena](https://www.edgepedia.org/t-mobile-arena) in Las Vegas, Nevada, headlined by a welterweight bout between [Conor McGregor](https://www.edgepedia.org/conor-mcgregor) and Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone. McGregor, returning after a 15-month absence, stopped Cerrone by technical knockout 40 seconds into the first round.[1](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/ufc/conor-mcgregor-vs-cowboy-result-how-ufc-246-fight-won-replay-highlights-a9290471.html) • [2](https://www.sherdog.com/news/articles/By-the-Numbers-UFC-246-168911)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Date and venue | January 18, 2020, T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada[1](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/ufc/conor-mcgregor-vs-cowboy-result-how-ufc-246-fight-won-replay-highlights-a9290471.html) |
| Main event | Conor McGregor def. Donald Cerrone by TKO, 40 seconds into round one, at welterweight[2](https://www.sherdog.com/news/articles/By-the-Numbers-UFC-246-168911) |
| Records entering | McGregor 22-4; Cerrone 36-14[3](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/ufc/conor-mcgregor-vs-cowboy-ufc-246-result-fight-report-replay-stream-finish-latest-updates-a9290441.html) |
| Historic mark | McGregor became the first UFC fighter with knockout victories at featherweight, lightweight, and welterweight[1](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/ufc/conor-mcgregor-vs-cowboy-result-how-ufc-246-fight-won-replay-highlights-a9290471.html) |
| Comeback context | McGregor's first fight in 15 months, since a loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov, and his first win since 2016[4](https://www.ufc.com/news/ufc-246-live-results-conor-mcgregor-donald-cowboy-cerrone) |
| Striking totals | McGregor landed 19 of 26 significant strikes (73% accuracy); Cerrone landed 0[2](https://www.sherdog.com/news/articles/By-the-Numbers-UFC-246-168911) |
| Reported purses | McGregor $3 million plus pay-per-view compensation; Cerrone a fixed $200,000, with $200,000 more had he won[5](https://as.com/us/us/2020/02/08/masdeporte/1581186200_732735.html) |
## Background
McGregor, a former two-division UFC champion, had not competed since losing to [Khabib Nurmagomedov](https://www.edgepedia.org/khabib-nurmagomedov) in October 2018, and the bout marked his first victory since 2016.[4](https://www.ufc.com/news/ufc-246-live-results-conor-mcgregor-donald-cowboy-cerrone) He took the fight at welterweight, a third weight class, and both main-event fighters weighed exactly 170 pounds at the official weigh-in.[6](https://us.ufcespanol.com/news/ufc-246-official-weigh-results-conor-mcgregor-cowboy-cerrone) Cerrone, 36 to McGregor's 31, entered on a two-fight losing streak and called the bout the toughest test of his career.[3](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/ufc/conor-mcgregor-vs-cowboy-ufc-246-result-fight-report-replay-stream-finish-latest-updates-a9290441.html)
The buildup was unusually cordial for a McGregor fight, with the two men remaining respectful through the pre-fight press conference.[3](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/ufc/conor-mcgregor-vs-cowboy-ufc-246-result-fight-report-replay-stream-finish-latest-updates-a9290441.html) Commentators noted the matchmaking followed a boxing template, a big star matched against a fading, stylistically favorable veteran with little competitive stakes on the line.[7](https://www.mmafighting.com/2020/1/20/21072781/ufc-246-aftermath-conor-mcgregor-is-back-but-for-how-long)
## The main event
**The finish took 40 seconds.** McGregor charged at the opening bell, and when Cerrone ducked a left hand and attempted a takedown, McGregor stuffed it and drew him into the clinch. There he landed repeated upward shoulder strikes to Cerrone's face, an unorthodox attack that broke Cerrone's nose.[3](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/ufc/conor-mcgregor-vs-cowboy-ufc-246-result-fight-report-replay-stream-finish-latest-updates-a9290441.html) Cerrone staggered back and threw a head kick, which McGregor swatted away before landing his own head kick square on Cerrone's jaw. A flying knee against the cage nearly put Cerrone down, and the shot that finally floored him was McGregor's signature piston left hand. As Cerrone covered up along the fence, referee [Herb Dean](https://www.edgepedia.org/herb-dean) stopped the fight at 0:40 of round one.[3](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/ufc/conor-mcgregor-vs-cowboy-ufc-246-result-fight-report-replay-stream-finish-latest-updates-a9290441.html) • [8](https://fightcardiq.com/fights/mcgregor-vs-cerrone/full-fight/)
The statistics understate how one-sided it was: McGregor landed 19 significant strikes, 13 of them on the ground, with 73% accuracy, while Cerrone landed none. It was the first time Cerrone had failed to land a significant strike since a 2007 WEC bout.[2](https://www.sherdog.com/news/articles/By-the-Numbers-UFC-246-168911) Cerrone, who did not land a single blow, was taken to a hospital afterward.[3](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/ufc/conor-mcgregor-vs-cowboy-ufc-246-result-fight-report-replay-stream-finish-latest-updates-a9290441.html)
## Records and significance
In the octagon afterward, McGregor said, "I made history here, I set another record: I'm the first fighter in UFC history to secure knockout victories at featherweight, at lightweight and now at welterweight."[1](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/ufc/conor-mcgregor-vs-cowboy-result-how-ufc-246-fight-won-replay-highlights-a9290471.html) The stoppage was the second-fastest of his UFC career, behind only his 13-second knockout of Jose Aldo in a December 2015 featherweight title bout.[2](https://www.sherdog.com/news/articles/By-the-Numbers-UFC-246-168911)
For Cerrone, the loss was costly in historical terms as well.
## Pay and commercial performance
The reported UFC 246 salaries showed a wide gap. McGregor received a disclosed $3 million plus pay-per-view compensation, while Cerrone received a fixed $200,000, with another $200,000 due had he won. Cerrone later stated publicly that he received no share of pay-per-view revenue, responding to fans who assumed otherwise: "No recibí dinero de PPV... Hice dinero fijo" (I received no PPV money... I made fixed money).[5](https://as.com/us/us/2020/02/08/masdeporte/1581186200_732735.html)
The event generated about 1.3 million pay-per-view buys, placing it among the five highest-selling numbered UFC events, all headlined by McGregor. It also stands as McGregor's last professional victory.[9](https://as.com/masdeporte/polideportivo/conor-mcgregor-el-rey-del-ppv-n/)
## Rest of the card
The co-main event saw [Holly Holm](https://www.edgepedia.org/holly-holm) win a unanimous decision over [Raquel Pennington](https://www.edgepedia.org/raquel-pennington) in a bantamweight rematch of their 2015 fight, controlling the bout through repeated clinch exchanges and landing 81 total strikes to Pennington's 55.[10](https://www.si.com/mma/2020/01/19/ufc-246-mcgregor-cerrone-analysis) • [2](https://www.sherdog.com/news/articles/By-the-Numbers-UFC-246-168911) Other main-card results included [Carlos Diego Ferreira](https://www.edgepedia.org/carlos-diego-ferreira) submitting Anthony Pettis with a rear-naked choke in round two, extending his winning streak to six, and Aleksei Oleinik tapping Maurice Greene with an armbar at 4:38 of round two, the 46th submission win of Oleinik's career.[10](https://www.si.com/mma/2020/01/19/ufc-246-mcgregor-cerrone-analysis) • [2](https://www.sherdog.com/news/articles/By-the-Numbers-UFC-246-168911) On the preliminaries, Roxanne Modafferi outstruck Maycee Barber 112 to 25 in total strikes in a unanimous decision, and Drew Dober knocked out Nasrat Haqparast 1:10 into the opening round.[2](https://www.sherdog.com/news/articles/By-the-Numbers-UFC-246-168911) One bout was canceled at the weigh-in: Alexa Grasso came in 5.5 pounds above the strawweight limit, so her fight with Claudia Gadelha was scrapped under Nevada State Athletic Commission rules.[6](https://us.ufcespanol.com/news/ufc-246-official-weigh-results-conor-mcgregor-cowboy-cerrone)
## Aftermath
The win got the UFC's 2020 schedule off to a strong start and restored McGregor's standing as a pay-per-view draw, with any fight carrying his name, against Nurmagomedov, Jorge Masvidal, Kamaru Usman, Nate Diaz, Justin Gaethje, or [Tony Ferguson](https://www.edgepedia.org/tony-ferguson), framed as a major event.[11](https://www.ufc.com/news/ufc-246-scorecard) McGregor vowed to fight multiple times in 2020, but the Cerrone bout proved to be his final victory; he subsequently lost to [Dustin Poirier](https://www.edgepedia.org/dustin-poirier) at [UFC 257](https://www.edgepedia.org/ufc-257) and UFC 264.[12](https://epub.stripes.com/docs/GSS_GSS_170120/GSS_GSS_170120.pdf) • [9](https://as.com/masdeporte/polideportivo/conor-mcgregor-el-rey-del-ppv-n/)
## References
1. [Conor McGregor vs Cowboy: The full story of UFC 246 star's sensational return to the sport, The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/ufc/conor-mcgregor-vs-cowboy-result-how-ufc-246-fight-won-replay-highlights-a9290471.html)
2. [By the Numbers: UFC 246, Sherdog](https://www.sherdog.com/news/articles/By-the-Numbers-UFC-246-168911)
3. [Conor McGregor silences his doubters in 40 flawless seconds against Cowboy at UFC 246, The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/ufc/conor-mcgregor-vs-cowboy-ufc-246-result-fight-report-replay-stream-finish-latest-updates-a9290441.html)
4. [UFC 246 Results, UFC.com](https://www.ufc.com/news/ufc-246-live-results-conor-mcgregor-donald-cowboy-cerrone)
5. [Cerrone no recibió dinero del PPV de la pelea contra McGregor, AS](https://as.com/us/us/2020/02/08/masdeporte/1581186200_732735.html)
6. [UFC 246 Official Weigh-In Results, UFC.com](https://us.ufcespanol.com/news/ufc-246-official-weigh-results-conor-mcgregor-cowboy-cerrone)
7. [UFC 246 Aftermath: Conor McGregor is back, but for how long?, MMA Fighting](https://www.mmafighting.com/2020/1/20/21072781/ufc-246-aftermath-conor-mcgregor-is-back-but-for-how-long)
8. [Conor McGregor vs. Donald Cerrone Full Fight Video, FightCardIQ](https://fightcardiq.com/fights/mcgregor-vs-cerrone/full-fight/)
9. [Conor McGregor, el rey del PPV, AS](https://as.com/masdeporte/polideportivo/conor-mcgregor-el-rey-del-ppv-n/)
10. [Conor McGregor TKO's Cowboy Cerrone 40 Seconds Into Return: UFC 246 Results, Sports Illustrated](https://www.si.com/mma/2020/01/19/ufc-246-mcgregor-cerrone-analysis)
11. [UFC 246 Scorecard, UFC.com](https://www.ufc.com/news/ufc-246-scorecard)
12. [Stars and Stripes, January 17, 2020 edition](https://epub.stripes.com/docs/GSS_GSS_170120/GSS_GSS_170120.pdf)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Individual sports and outdoor recreation › Combat sports and professional wrestling › Mixed martial arts › UFC numbered events 101–200*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license