THE UFC’s first fight card of 2020 takes place on Saturday, January 18. T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas plays host to that event, UFC 246. The main event fight on the pay-per-view card is a welterweight bout between former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor and ex-lightweight title challenger Donald Cerrone.
The card also features two other former UFC champions in Holly Holm and Anthony Pettis.
UFC president Dana White has said, despite the fight taking place at 170 pounds, McGregor could earn a title shot at lightweight with a victory over Cerrone. That fight is likely to be booked later this year if current lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov wins his April matchup against ex-interim lightweight champ Tony Ferguson.
UFC 246 marks the first time McGregor steps into the octagon since Nurmagomedov submitted him in the fourth round of their October 229 matchup at UFC 229. Cerrone enters the bout coming off TKO losses to Justin Gaethje and Ferguson.
Holm, who held the women’s bantamweight title and fought for the women’s featherweight crown, has not fought since July when current 135-pound queen, Amanda Nunes, stopped her in the first round of their July matchup. Pennington, who dropped a split decision to Holm in 2015, is coming off a split decision win over Irene Aldana.
Former lightweight kingpin, Anthony Pettis, has also fought at featherweight and welterweight since losing the 155-pound strap to Rafael dos Anjos in March 2015. Pettis looks to avoid a two-fight losing skid when he faces Diego Ferreira in the opening scrap of the PPV card. Ferreira is on a five-fight winning streak.
UFC 246 Pay-Per-View Card (ESPN+, 10 P.M. ET)
Conor McGregor (-310) vs. Donald Cerrone (+240)
Holly Holm (-145) vs. Raquel Pennington (+115)
Maurice Greene (-135) vs. Aleksei Oleinik (+105)
Cláudia Gadelha (-120) vs. Alexa Grasso (-110)
Diego Ferreira (-250) vs. Anthony Pettis (+195)
UFC 246 Preliminary card (ESPN2, 8 PM ET)
Maycee Barber (-1000) vs. Roxanne Modafferi (+600)
Sodiq Yusuff (-145) vs. Andre Fili (+115)
Nasrat Haqparast (-315) vs. Drew Dober (+245)
UFC 246 Early Prelim card (ESPN+, Fight Pass, 6:15 P.M. ET)
Grant Dawson (-225) vs. Chas Skelly (+175)
Aleksa Camur (-140) vs. Justin Ledet (+110)
Askar Askarov (-120) vs. Tim Elliott (-110)
Ode Osbourne (-135) vs. Brian Kelleher (+105)
JJ Aldrich (-120) vs. Sabina Mazo (-110)
— Forbes
