The speculation and teasing is over, Conor McGregor is set to make his return to competition at UFC 246 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Dana White informed ESPN.com today that McGregor and Cerrone will be competing in a non-title fight at welterweight, not lightweight, to take place January 18th inside the T-Mobile Arena. This fight has been rumored to take place for weeks now, and it is finally a done deal.
“Conor has signed and Cowboy is ready to go,” White told ESPN.
Earlier today, McGregor hinted that a fight announcement was looming, and this time his words were followed through with official verification:
Conor McGregor and Donald Cerrone had been in talks to compete since the first quarter of the year. In May, Donald Cerrone gave up on the prospect of the bout taking place, only for talks to be revived recently when Dana White disclosed that a bout between McGregor and Cerrone is what the promotion was looking at. Both McGregor and Cerrone are coming off of a loss, but it is no secret why a fight between the two will headline a pay per view regardless, with McGregor being the biggest box-office attraction the sport has ever seen.
Both McGregor and Cerrone last competed at lightweight, with McGregor losing to Khabib Nurmagomedov by submission in the UFC 229 main event and Cerrone getting knocked out by Justin Gaethje at UFC Fight Night 158. With the bout taking place at welterweight, it stands to reason that this contest will have no bearings on the lightweight title picture, but could have some residual impact on the top of the welterweight division, especially if the gold-hunting Conor McGregor gets a win on January 18th.
The last time Conor McGregor competed at welterweight was against Nate Diaz at UFC 202. As for Cowboy, his most recent bout at welterweight was against Mike Perry. Therefore, both men are coming off of a win in the welterweight division, and only one of them will make it two in a row with the world watching.
Who do you predict will win between Conor Mcgregor and Donald Cerrone at UF 246?
