UFC 246: McGregor vs GaethjeLas Vegas, Nevada
Attendance: 12,804 (Gate: $2,908,429)
Critical Rating: 71%, Commercial Rating: 96% MAIN EVENT(#4) Conor McGregor (22-4) defeated (#5) Justin Gaethje (21-3) via TKO (Strikes) at 3:33 of Round 1
CO-MAIN EVENT(#2) Tyron Woodley (22-4-1) defeated (#3) Colby Covington (15-3) via TKO (Strikes) at 0:40 of Round 1
MAIN CARD(#3) Dustin Poirier (26-6-1NC) defeated (#6) Donald Cerrone (36-14-1NC) via Unanimous Decision
(#17) Luke Rockhold (17-5) defeated (#12) Chris Weidman (14-6) via KO (Punch) at 0:14 of Round 3
(#8) Santiago Ponzinibbio (28-3) defeated (#9) Stephen Thompson (15-5-1) via TKO (Strikes) at 2:26 of Round 2
PRELIMS(#10) Jair Rozenstruik (11-0) defeated (#11) Walt Harris (13-8-1NC) via TKO (Strikes) at 0:33 of Round 1
(#10) Edson Barboza (21-8) defeated (#11) Al Iaquinta (14-7-1) via Unanimous Decision
(#8) Derek Brunson (21-7) defeated (#5) Jared Cannonier (13-5) via TKO (Strikes) at 2:09 of Round 2
Gray Maynard (14-7-1-1NC) defeated Joe Lauzon (28-16) via TKO (Strikes) at 1:49 of Round 1
(#12) John Dodson (21-11) defeated (#11) Cody Stamann (18-3-1) via Submission (Armbar) at 4:24 of Round 3
Maurice Greene (9-3) defeated Greg Hardy (5-3-1NC) via Submission (Guillotine) at 2:19 of Round 1
(#19) Alex Perez (23-5) defeated (#17) Marlon Vera (17-6-1) via Unanimous Decision
Tim Means (30-11-1-1NC) defeated Siyar Bahadurzada (24-9-1) via TKO (Strikes) at 2:31 of Round 2
Tom Breese (12-1) defeated Brendan Allen (13-4) via Submission (Armbar) in 2:54 of Round 2
Eryk Anders (14-4) defeated Jake Collier (11-5) via KO (Punch) in 1:11 of Round 2
Bonuses: ($50,000)
Fight of the Night: Alex Perez vs Marlon Vera
Knockout of the Night: Luke Rockhold (vs Chris Weidman)
Submission of the Night: John Dodson (vs Cody Stamann)
Notes: - Derek Brunson called out Darren Till after his victory over Jared Cannonier.
- Gray Maynard got his first win since July 2017, and first finish since September 2007 with a quick TKO victory over fellow veteran, Joe Lauzon.
- Edson Barboza called out Paul Felder after his victory over Al Iaquinta.
- Jair Rozenstruik continued his devastating finishing streak in the UFC, extending his UFC record to 5-0, and overall record to 11-0.
- Santiago Ponzinibbio extended his winning streak to 8 and should now be ranked in the top 5 in the Welterweight Division, a title eliminator fight likely next in his future.
- Luke Rockhold was less than gracious after his victory, gloating about his Knockout.
- Dustin Poirier said he'd like to run back his fight from 2014 with Conor McGregor sooner rather than later, and hopes Conor wins and walks away unscathed so they can fight next.
- Tyron Woodley had a perfect gameplan for his fight against Colby Covington and stuck to it perfectly, putting away the former interim Welterweight champion in less than a minute, this certainly puts him back in the reckoning for a title shot, but the winner of Masvidal vs Edwards will be next in line so a fight against Santiago Ponzinibbio is more likely with the winner of that getting the winner of Usman vs Masvidal or Edwards.
- Conor McGregor returned in a big way, dismantling Justin Gaethje without really breaking a sweat, Conor's pinpoint strikes picked Gaethje apart and finished him within a round. His post-fight interview was as energetic as you'd expect and he threw out names like Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao or the winner of Khabib vs Ferguson as potential next fights, whether in the ring or the cage.
Rankings Changes:Heavyweight: Jair Rozenstruik moves up to #4, Walt Harris drops to #15
Light Heavyweight: Luke Rockhold enters at #13
Middleweight: Derek Brunson up to #5, Jared Cannonier down to #9, Tom Breese enters at #22
Welterweight: Tyron Woodley stays at #2, Santiago Ponzinibbio moves up to #4, Colby Covington down to #7, Stephen Thompson down to #16,
Lightweight: Dustin Poirier up to #2, Conor McGregor up to #3, Edson Barboza up to #5, Donald Cerrone down to #9, Justin Gaethje down to #10,
Featherweight: N/A
Bantamweight: John Dodson moves up to #9, Alex Perez enters at #18, Marlon Vera down to #19, Cody Stamann down to #20