UFC superstar Conor “The Notorious” McGregor returns to the octagon Saturday evening for UFC 246.
The 38-year-old McGregor (21-4-0) is the headliner for the main event against 36-year-old Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone (36-13-0, 1 no contest).
Former champion Holly Holm (12-5-0), 38, is fighting against 31-year-old Raquel Pennington (10-8-0). Holm is best known for handing Ronda Rousey her first defeat at UFC 193 for the bantamweight title, one of the biggest upsets in UFC history.
Rounding out the main card are Aleksei Oleinik vs. Maurice Greene, Brian Kelleher vs. Ode Osborne, and Anthony Pettis vs. Diego Ferreira.
The main event begins at 10 p.m. ET. on Saturday, January 18. The early matchups begin at 6:30 p.m. ET followed by the preliminary bouts at 8 p.m. ET. The event is being held at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Looking for a first win since 2016
After suddenly retiring in March, McGregor is returning to T-Mobile Arena, where he last fought at UFC 229. He lost by submission in the fourth round trying to challenge lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.
However, there was a post-fight melee between McGregor and Nurmagomedov’s camps, which resulted in a six-month suspension for McGregor and a nine-month suspension for Nurmagomedov by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
With his suspension behind him, McGregor is looking for his first win in the octagon since 2016.
McGregor is 2-2 in his last four bouts. He split his two matchups with Nate Diaz while beating Eddie Alvarez and losing to Khabib Nurmagomedov in that stretch.
While McGregor is the favorite according to betting odds, he may be rusty after being out of the ring for more than a year. Cerrone, on the other hand, has fought seven opponents in the last two years.
How to watch
Main Card: 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+
Prelims: 8 p.m. ET on ESPN
Early Prelims: 6:30 p.m. ET on FIGHT PASS
