''UFC 246: McGregor vs. Cowboy'' was a
mixed martial arts
Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...
event produced by the
Ultimate Fighting Championship
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...
that took place on January 18, 2020 at the
T-Mobile Arena
T-Mobile Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Paradise, Nevada. Opened on April 6, 2016, it is the home arena of the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL). A joint venture between MGM Resorts International and Anschutz En ...
in
Paradise, Nevada
Paradise is an unincorporated town and census-designated place (CDP) in Clark County, Nevada, United States, adjacent to the city of Las Vegas. It was formed on December 8, 1950. Its population was 191,238 at the 2020 census, making it the fif ...
, part of the
Las Vegas Metropolitan Area
The Las Vegas Valley is a major metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada, and the second largest in the Southwestern United States. The state's largest urban agglomeration, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Statistical Area is ...
, United States.
Background
A welterweight bout between former
UFC Featherweight and
Lightweight Champion Conor McGregor
Conor Anthony McGregor ( ga, Conchúr Antóin Mac Gréagóir; born 14 July 1988) is an Irish professional mixed martial artist. He is a former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) featherweight and lightweight double-champion. He is the first ...
and former lightweight title challenger
Donald Cerrone
Donald Cerrone (born March 29, 1983), known professionally by his nickname "Cowboy", is an American retired mixed martial artist, actor, and former professional kickboxer. He competed in the Lightweight and Welterweight division for the Ultimat ...
served as the event headliner.
A women's bantamweight rematch between former
UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion Holly Holm
Holly Rene Holm (born October 17, 1981) is an American mixed martial artist, who competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. She is the former UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion, and a former professional boxer. She was a multiple-time world ...
and former title challenger
Raquel Pennington
Raquel Len Pennington (born September 5, 1988) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in Ultimate Fighting Championship women's featherweight division. She has previously fought for Invicta Fighting Championships. As of May 23, 2022, ...
was initially scheduled to take place at
UFC 243
''UFC 243: Whittaker vs. Adesanya'' was a mixed martial arts pay-per-view event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on October 6, 2019, at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Background
The event was the ...
. The pairing previously met in February 2015 at
UFC 184
''UFC 184: Rousey vs. Zingano'' was a mixed martial arts event held on February 28, 2015, at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.
Background
A UFC Middleweight Championship bout between Chris Weidman and Vitor Belfort was expected to serve ...
, with Holm winning the encounter via split decision. However, it was revealed on September 27, 2019 that Holm withdrew from the bout due to a
hamstring
In human anatomy, a hamstring () is any one of the three posterior thigh muscles in between the hip and the knee (from medial to lateral: semimembranosus, semitendinosus and biceps femoris). The hamstrings are susceptible to injury.
In quadrupeds, ...
injury and the bout was cancelled. The bout was rescheduled and took place at this event.
Grant Dawson
Grant Dawson (born February 20, 1994) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As of December 19, 2022, he is #15 in the UFC lightweight rankings.
Background
Daws ...
was expected to face
Chas Skelly
Chas Lucas Skelly (born May 11, 1985) is an American retired mixed martial artist who competed in the featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional since 2009, he has also competed for Bellator MMA and Legacy Fighti ...
in a featherweight bout at the event. However, the bout was scrapped on January 14 after Dawson announced that he was forced to withdraw.
Former
UFC Women's Strawweight Championship
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships.
Historical notes
At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight classe ...
challenger
Cláudia Gadelha
Ana Cláudia Dantas Gadelha (; born December 7, 1988), is a retired Brazilian mixed martial artist who competed in the Women's Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
As of 2022, Gadelha works for the Ultimate Fightin ...
was expected to face
Alexa Grasso
Karen Alexa Grasso Montes (born August 9, 1993) is a Mexican mixed martial artist who competes in the flyweight division. She is currently signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of March 29, 2022, she is #5 in the UFC women's ...
at the event. However, on the day of the weigh-ins, Grasso weighed in at 121.5 pounds, 5.5 pounds over the strawweight non-title fight limit of 116 pounds. The
Nevada State Athletic Commission
The Nevada State Athletic Commission (also known as the Nevada Athletic Commission or NSAC) regulates all contests and exhibitions of unarmed combat within the state of Nevada, including licensure and supervision of promoters, boxers, kickboxers, ...
(NSAC) decided to remove the fight because competitors are not allowed to compete if the weight between them is over 3 pounds.
Results
Bonus awards
The following fighters received $50,000 bonuses.
*Fight of the Night: No bonus awarded.
*Performance of the Night: Conor McGregor, Aleksei Oleinik, Brian Kelleher, Carlos Diego Ferreira and Drew Dober
Reported payout
The following is the reported payout to the fighters as reported to the
Nevada State Athletic Commission
The Nevada State Athletic Commission (also known as the Nevada Athletic Commission or NSAC) regulates all contests and exhibitions of unarmed combat within the state of Nevada, including licensure and supervision of promoters, boxers, kickboxers, ...
(NSAC). It does not include sponsor money and also does not include the UFC's traditional "fight night" bonuses. The total disclosed payout for the event was $4,434,000.
* Conor McGregor: $3,000,000 (no win bonus) def. Donald Cerrone: $200,000
* Holly Holm: $200,000 (includes $50,000 win bonus) def. Raquel Pennington: $63,000
* Aleksei Oleinik: $150,000 (includes $75,000 win bonus) def. Maurice Greene: $30,000
* Brian Kelleher: $46,000 (includes $23,000 win bonus) def. Ode' Osborne: $10,000
* Carlos Diego Ferreira: $100,000 (includes $50,000 win bonus) def. Anthony Pettis: $155,000
* Roxanne Modafferi: $62,000 (includes $31,000 win bonus) def. Maycee Barber: $29,000
* Sodiq Yusuff: $54,000 (includes $27,000 win bonus) def. Andre Fili: $55,000
* Askar Askarov: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus) def. Tim Elliott: $31,000
* Drew Dober: $110,000 (includes $55,000 win bonus) def. Nasrat Haqparast: $25,000
* Aleksa Camur: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus) def. Justin Ledet: $20,000
* Sabina Mazo: $24,000 (includes $12,000 win bonus) def. JJ Aldrich: $30,000
See also
*
List of UFC events
This is a list of events held and scheduled by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States. UFC's first event, UFC 1, took place on November 12, 1993. Each UFC event contains several fight ...
*
List of current UFC fighters
This list of current UFC fighters records current Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighters' information, country origins, recent fighter signings and departures, fight schedules and results and the champion of each division. , the UFC roster ...
*
2020 in UFC
The year 2020 was the 28th year in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States.
Partnership
Starting in 2021, a partnership between the UFC and Dapper Labs's Flow platform ...
References
{{2020 in mixed martial arts
Ultimate Fighting Championship events
2020 in mixed martial arts
Mixed martial arts in Las Vegas
T-Mobile Arena
2020 in sports in Nevada
January 2020 sports events in the United States
Events in Paradise, Nevada