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Conor McGregor is making his highly-anticipated return to mixed martial arts on Saturday, January 18 in the main event of UFC 246 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada against fan favorite Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone. The welterweight pay-per-view headliner has generated plenty of buzz, but that hasn’t stopped McGregor from looking ahead.
In a recent interview, the brash Irishman outlined his plans for 2020 which set out to remind the MMA world that he is still on top.
One name that has been linked to McGregor in recent months is the always exciting Justin Gaethje, who has been calling for a fight with the former two-division champion.
And if McGregor’s latest comments are any indication, Gaethje could finally be getting his wish.
“He is on the list,” McGregor told TheMacLife.com. “Maybe I will face him next. Maybe I’ll face him next. He has it coming to him. I laugh at how Justin has … he’s a funny guy.
“He’s been taking it very to heart. I know the feeling when you do that. Maybe I’ll get through Donald and I’ll have a quick turnaround against Justin. Maybe that’s what will happen. But Justin is on the list, no doubt.”
Who wouldn’t want to see that matchup?
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McGregor last appeared inside of the Octagon in October 2018 when he suffered a submission loss to lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. Prior to his loss to Nurmagomedov, McGregor was on a two-fight winning streak with a welterweight bout victory over Nate Diaz and a Performance of the Night against Eddie Alvarez to claim the 155-pound title on November 12, 2016. However, McGregor was later stripped of the title due to inactivity — he was previously stripped of the featherweight belt after winning the lightweight crown.
Cerrone, meanwhile, will be looking to bounce back after a two-fight losing streak. “Cowboy” went 2-2 in 2019 with wins over Al Iaquinta and Alexander Hernandez, while suffering losses to top lightweight contenders Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethje. Three of Cerrone’s last four fights earned him $50,000 bonuses for Fight of the Night.
According to BetMGM.com, McGregor has opened as nearly a 3-to-1 favorite. The moneyline currently has the former two-division champion as a -278 favorite for the welterweight bout while Cowboy sits at +200. That means a $100 wager on Cerrone would net you $200 in wins, while you would have to bet $278 on McGregor to win $100.
