Conor McGregor vs Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone latest: Tyson Fury, Jon Jones, Jorge Masvidal and more give their UFC 246 predictions
Conor McGregor is weighed in and ready to face Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone in the main event of UFC 246 on Saturday night.
While 'Notorious' is the biggest star to ever grace the sport, his opponent is one of the most successful in the history of the company - holding records for finishes, wins and fights in the UFC.
McGregor hasn't been seen in the octagon since October 2018, so fans will be eager to see what sort of fighter turns up at the T-Mobile Arena.
Cerrone, meanwhile, has stayed very active.
Essentially, it could go either way. But, it's an exciting fight where one man is almost certain to get knocked out and it will do exceptionally well at the box office.
In fact, McGregor reckons he will make close to $80million for the bout.
Below, marvelbet369.com looks at predictions from some of the top personalities in the fight game.
Jon Jones, UFC light heavyweight champion
“I’m really happy for 'Cowboy' Cerrone, being an Albuquerque fighter, to have such a huge opportunity,” Jones said in a recent interview with .
"'Cowboy' Cerrone and I will always have somewhat of a connection, and I’m pulling for him. At the same time, Conor McGregor, I love everything he’s doing for the sport. Such a great businessman, and he’s brought so much awareness to our sport. May the best man win.”
Tyson Fury, former heavyweight boxing champion
"Yes, Conor McGregor is gonna win. I say by knockout. And I’m gonna be there to see it happen [at] ringside, cageside rather.”
Georges St. Pierre, former UFC welterweight champion
"If it's a quick fight, it's going to be McGregor. If it's a long fight, it's going to be Cerrone.
"If Cerrone comes and tries to grapple, because he has a very, very good ground game. It's very underrated. I've trained with him before and he's got a good takedown, he's very explosive to takedown. Not many people know that because he doesn't use it much - he used it against Patrick Cote - if he does that to weather the first couple of minutes, weather the storm and McGregor's left-hand, then I think he can get it.
"It depends on his tools, what's his approach? I think if he wrestles in round one, he's got a good chance to win. But if he tries to trade and karate with McGregor, McGregor will tag him and knock him out. I'm leaning more towards McGregor."
Tito Ortiz, UFC Hall of Famer and former light heavyweight champion
"Conor has had some time off and that helps the body recover a bit more whereas Cerrone has been in a lot of fights. It's just one of those things. I just hope both guys put on a great show.
"I would like to see 'Cowboy' Cerrone get his hand raised but I'd like to see Conor put on a good fight. I'm rooting for 'Cowboy' on this one, just for Conor punching that old man in the bar stool.
"That was not respectful, man. And the guy only got charged like $1000 or something. That's baloney. Karma is a bitch and it bites you in the ass at the end of the day."
Jorge Masvidal, UFC welterweight and winner of the 'BMF' belt
“It can go many ways,” Masvidal told ESPN. “Conor is great off the block. He’s phenomenal off the start. ‘Cowboy’ is a slow starter. Conor has tremendous speed and timing in the beginning, good power, so I think he can catch him early.
"If ‘Cowboy’ comes out to grapple like he has in the past with decent strikers and even good grapplers like Rick Story, who he was able to take down and create a lot of offense like that … if that ‘Cowboy’ comes out, he can mix things up real nice. And then he can start to flow and get into his game of high kicks and punching and being tricky, like a dual threat to Conor.
"If [Cerrone] just comes out to fight it out, I see Conor winning within the first two rounds.";
Dan Hardy, former UFC welterweight
"I think Conor is rightly the favourite going into this one," Hardy told talkSPORT.
"'Cowboy' is an excellent fighter but the doubt around him comes from his slow starting and weathering an early storm. If he can get to the second or third, it’s a far more difficult fight for Conor to win. Starting fast can be 'Cowboy''s kryptonite, though, and that’s Conor’s game."
Joe Rogan, UFC commentator
Speaking on his , he said: "Based on watching them fight different people, it seems to me Conor McGregor has an advantage in being able to close the distance and a speed advantage.
"'Cowboy', when at his best, is remarkably well rounded - and more well rounded than Conor. I think he has a lot of tools people forget about. In particular, his takedowns are excellent and he can submit the f*** out of you.
"He's nasty off his back and has wicked triangles. If this went to the ground, I can see Conor getting submitted by a triangle but what I can't see if 'Cowboy' getting submitted by a triangle. I don't think it's impossible, but I don't see it.
"Conor can win by knockout. His left hand is a f***ing piston and he's sneaky. He's got nasty uppercuts and a killer instinct. The Eddie Alvarez fight is the best example of that. He tuned him up and made it look like he had no business being in there. Conor McGregor handles pressure as good as anyone.
"If he's the same guy who knocked out Dustin Poirier when he was a savage, Diego Brandao, Jose Aldo and Alvarez and decides he wants to let the world know he can still do it, we could certainly see a resurgence."
Kamaru Usman, UFC welterweight champion
"I see a lot of people writing 'Cowboy' off just because he's won some and lost some, but 'Cowboy' is a very dangerous fight for Conor.
"[McGregor] has underestimated an opponent before and he paid for it. I think he's underestimating 'Cowboy'... You've seen before when you light a fire under 'Cowboy' then he's going to get going... I think it's a good fight, but I'm expecting 'Cowboy' to respond."
Colby Covington, UFC welterweight
"I'm going 'Cowboy'. I think that Conor has cashed out... Let's be honest he couldn't even knock an old man off a stool. How's he going to knock out 'Cowboy'?"
Max Holloway, UFC featherweight
"I'm excited. I just want to see what Conor shows up. I hope he keeps his mind straight, everything straight. Even in his personal life I hope he figures it out and goes out there and proves to the world he can still do this."
Darren “The Gorilla” Till – UFC Welterweight
"I am predicting a first-round knock-out for Conor McGregor. I think it's a great fight and in my opinion it's a fight that should have been made years ago. It's certainly a fight that's been long in the making.
"The fight is good for so many reasons, the fact that the fight is in Vegas and everything else that comes with it, especially because he's probably the biggest name in mixed martial arts. He's going to attract a lot of fans and a lot of new fans, so I can't wait for it."
Watch UFC® 246: McGREGOR vs. COWBOY live on BT Sport Box Office from 3:00am GMT with the prelims live on BT Sport 2, UFC FIGHT PASS from 1:00 am GMT and the early prelims exclusively live on UFC FIGHT PASS from 11:15pm. GMT