In the main event of UFC 246, Conor McGregor makes his highly-anticipated return to the Octagon, where he will battle Donald Cerrone. Heading into the fight, the Irishman is a -325 favorite while “Cowboy” is a +250 underdog.
Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. To some surprise, most are going with the underdog Cerrone to upset McGregor.
Here’s what they had to say.
BJPENN.com Fighter Picks Conor McGregor vs. Donald Cerrone:
Alexander Volkanovski, UFC featherweight champion: To be honest, I think Conor McGregor. Cowboy has some serious jiu-jitsu but I don’t think he will go there. Cowboy is a gamer and will try and stand in front of him. Conor has good timing and power and he will catch Cerrone and finish him.
Ilima Lei-MacFarlane, Bellator flyweight champion: Oh, I want Cowboy to win, and I think he will get it done.
Diego Ferreira, UFC lightweight: I’m a big fan of Cowboy and I think he wins it. I know he’s not a favorite in this fight but I think he can get a knockout. Look for the head kick KO win.
Michael Chiesa, UFC welterweight: You know, I may be a bit biased as Cowboy is a good buddy of mine, but I look at the matchup and Cowboy has a lot more ways to win. He has a very underrated ground game and can wrestle well. He’s got a lot more tools when it comes to being a mixed martial artist. Conor McGregor obviously has that knockout power but I think Cowboy can get it done. When he says he will have a striking battle he will do just that and he will win.
Geoff Neal, UFC welterweight: Man, I want Cowboy to win but I feel like Cowboy is out of his prime. He is not on a decline but he is getting closer and closer to hanging the gloves up. Conor is still in his prime. If Conor is focused this should be an easy fight for him but we will see where his mind is at. But I think Conor should win.
Roxanne Modafferi, UFC flyweight: I know Cowboy, he has trained at Syndicate before and I am not impressed with Conor’s behavior lately. So, I will be rooting for Cowboy to get it done.
Gilbert Burns, UFC welterweight: I got Conor winning that. Cowboy will be big at 170 with no weight cut, but Conor as well. He will be big. I don’t think Cowboy will want to grapple and he will try to strike. If Cowboy wants to strike with Conor, Conor will finish him in the second or third round by knockout.
Maurice Greene, UFC heavyweight: I am a Cowboy fan and I think he can pull it off with either a submission or that head kick of his.
Tim Elliott, UFC flyweight: Man that is a tough one. I’m going with Cowboy as I’m not sure how Conor will be after the time off.
Adam Borics, Bellator featherweight: It is hard. I like both guys, but I think McGregor will win. I would not be surprised if Cerrone won, but if I had to bet, I’d pick McGregor.
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Fighters picking Conor McGregor: Alexander Volkanovski, Geoff Neal, Gilbert Burns, Adam Borics
Fighters picking Donald Cerrone: Ilima-Lei MacFarlane, Diego Ferreira, Michael Chiesa, Roxanne Modafferi, Maurice Greene, Tim Elliott
Who do you think will win the UFC 246 main event between Conor McGregor and Donald Cerrone?
This article first appeared on BJPENN.com on 1/16/2020.