Conor McGregor made a magnificent return at UFC 246, KO-ing Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone in 40 seconds in Las Vegas.
After being away from the Octagon for 15 months, McGregor, 31, was on top notch form; demonstrating the full extent of his skills flooring Cerrone, 36, with a series of well-placed blows.
However, although his sporting prowess cannot be denied, it was McGregor’s display of sportsmanship that really got people talking. It would appear he’s learnt quite a lot in that department during his time away.
Following the UFC 246 main event, McGregor rushed to give Cerrone a big hug; showing his respect and esteem for his fellow UFC legend. Unlike previous bouts we could mention, there was clearly no bad blood between the pair and it was cheering to see.
Then, in a further demonstration of admiration, McGregor went on to embrace Cerrone’s grandmother; later describing her as a ‘phenomenal woman’.
As per The Sun, the Irish champ made the following warm remarks about Cerrone’s grandma after the fight:
Cerrone’s nan is a phenomenal woman, she is at every fight and is there from the start to the finish.
What a man she has raised. I like Donald, I have a lot of respect for him and it was an honour to share the ring for him.Who I fight next does not matter, the lightweight title will always be there. I am not going to sit out and wait. The ‘who’ doesn’t matter, I am looking at dates now, I know March is nice. I will celebrate and be ready. I will show Jr my fight and see how he reacts to it.
Fans have been left impressed by McGregor’s respectful attitude, praising his choice of humility over bravado.
One person tweeted:
It’s SO good to see this side of @TheNotoriousMMA once again. The rivalry is fun and all, and it made him a a ton of money, but in the end, #respect, #love and #Competition is all that matters. Good to have him back! #McGregorVsCowboy #UFC246
Another applauded:
This is the kind of respect we need in the sport..yes, after all the trash talk, the mind games and the banter, we need fighters to recognise the fact that they are putting their lives on the line for the sake of our entertainment. Classy from @TheNotoriousMM
McGregor got Cerrone’s nose bleeding in the opening seconds using his shoulder, of all things, to hit his opponent in the head with, SPORTbible reports.
A punishing head kick followed by a series of punches to the head saw the referee stopping the fight after 40 seconds.
This win brings McGregor’s professional record up to 22-4 with 19 knockouts.
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Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.