Conor McGregor will take on Donald Cerrone in the main event of UFC 246 on Jan. 18 inside T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas. The main card is stacked with a lot of interesting fights. UFC 246 is the first PPV event of 2020 and will mark Conor’s long-awaited return to the octagon. Before we take a look at how Conor McGregor and Donald Cerrone squares up, let’s take a look at other matches in the main card.

The Conor McGregor Show

The UFC 246 PPV is promoted as Conor McGregor’s much aticipated return to the octagon after 15 months of absence. Conor McGregor will return to the welterweight division. It will be his 3rd fight at welterweight division, after two terrific matches against Nate Diaz. Cerrone will return to the welterweight division, after two consecutive losses agaist Justin Gaethje and Tony Ferguson.

Holly Holm vs Raquel Pennington

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In the co-main event, Holly Holm will take on Raquel Pennington in the women’s bantamweight division. Holly Holm is coming off a loss against Amanda Nunes for the UFC bantamweight championship at UFC 239. And Raquel Pennington is coming off an impressive split decision victory against Irene Aldana. 

It’s a very interesting match-up. Holly Holm is a more devastating striker than Pennington. However, Pennington is patient in her striking and is always a favorite in the judge’s scorecards. Pennington is also impressive on the ground and has a submission victory over former strawweight champion Jessica Andrade. Still, Holly Holm’s knockout power can not be neglected. However, she hasn’t had an impressive last few fights despite getting many title opportunities. Taking all these into account, and looking at the mindset of both these fighters in the lead up to this match; Pennington takes a win. 

Prediction: Raquel Pennington via Unanimous Decision

Aleksei Oleinik vs. Maurice Greene 

The heavyweight division will witness MMA veteran Aleksei Oleinik against interesting heavyweight prospect Maurice Greene. Oleinik is famous for the Ezekiel submission that he has executed several times to pick up a victory. Notables victories include former champion Mark Hunt (submission), and Travis Browne (submission). In his 57 career wins, Oleinik has picked up 45 via submission. He also has several first-round submissions to his name. It will be a challenge for Maurice Greene to establish his position in the heavyweight division. He lost his last bout via TKO and will be looking to do things right, and pick up a victory. However, I believe Oleinik will get the win via submission in the second round.

Prediction: Aleksei Oleinik via Submission

Claudia Gadelha vs. Alexa Grasso 

It will be a brilliant opportunity for #11 ranked Alexa Grasso when she goes up against #6 ranked Claudia Gadelha in the main card of UFC 246. Grasso was very impressive in her last fight and narrowly missed out on a victory. However, Claudia picked up an impressive unanimous decision victory against Randa Markos at UFC 239. She has an impressive ground game and can fight full rounds of the fight. Grasso is also a similar fighter and has shown to have brilliant cardio. I see this fight going to the judges’ scorecard.

Prediction: Alexa Grasso via Unanimous Decision

Anthony Pettis vs Carlos Diego Ferreira 

Anthony Pettis will return to lightweight to face Carlos Diego Ferreira, who is currently on a five-fight win streak. Pettis hasn’t had a very impressive last two years. He lost against Tony Ferguson, then picked up an impressive victory against Stephen Thompson. However, he suffered a unanimous decision loss against Nate Diaz at UFC 241. Diego Ferreira looks incredible going into this fight and will look to surprise the MMA world by picking up a victory against the former champion. 

Both the fighters are incredible on the ground, and brilliant on their feet. This fight is also a potential pick for the Fight of the Night award. Expect both fighters to give their everything in this match. I am looking at a unanimous decision victory for Pettis, after a three-round war.

Conor McGregor vs Donald Cerrone

A lot has been said about Conor McGregor’s ground game in the lead up to his return fight against Donald Cerrone. Cerrone has mentioned that it will not be easy to out-grapple McGregor. He denied any possibility of a win via submission. McGregor is a heavy puncher, and will look to finish the fight inside two rounds. Cerrone’s submission skills, and McGregor’s absence from the octagon will play a huge factor going into the fight. McGregor will look to land his lethal left hand early. While McGregor’s power and strength is yet to be tested at 170, Cerrone is considerably more experienced at the welterweight division.