Conor McGregor set to return Jan. 18 in Las Vegas
Former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor said last month he planned to return to the cage Jan. 18 in Las Vegas.
The organization confirmed the news Thursday.
McGregor will fight Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone in the main event of UFC 246 at T-Mobile Arena, UFC president Dana White told ESPN. The bout will be contested at welterweight.
The Irish superstar last fought in the same arena in October 2018 when he lost a lightweight title bout to Khabib Nurmagomedov, a night remembered for a postfight brawl involving the fighters and their camps.
McGregor’s last victory in the UFC was a knockout of Eddie Alvarez to win the lightweight title Nov. 12, 2016, at Madison Square Garden in New York.
The 31-year-old went on to fight Floyd Mayweather in one of the biggest boxing events in history in August 2017 at T-Mobile Arena.
McGregor has run into a series of legal issues in the past several years.
Cerrone is one of the UFC’s most popular fighters but has lost his past two fights. He is coming off a knockout loss to Justin Gaethje in September.
The Westgate sports book opened McGregor as a minus 180 favorite.
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on Twitter.
