How did we get to Conor McGregor vs. Donald Cerrone at UFC 246? Check out this timeline of all the key moments that led to McGregor and “Cowboy” sharing the octagon in the welterweight pay-per-view headliner on Jan. 18 in Las Vegas.
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Jan. 16, 2015: Cerrone’s first words on McGregor
After McGregor defeated Dustin Poirier at UFC 178 and Cerrone beat Eddie Alvarez on the same card in September 2014, both men once again landed on the same show at UFC Fight Night 59 in January 2015, with McGregor taking on Dennis Siver in the main event while Cerrone faced Benson Henderson in the co-headliner.
Cerrone is asked about a potential fight between the two by MMA Junkie’s Matt Erickson at media day.
“Sure, (I’ll fight him),” Cerrone said. “Conor won’t be able to talk (expletive) to me, though. He won’t be able to do that (Dustin) Poirier stuff because I’ll (expletive) him up whenever I see him. Because that don’t fly with me. I don’t play that game. He’s a good dude. I get along with him just fine.”
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March 13, 2015: Cerrone praises McGregor at fan Q&A
McGregor’s win over Siver at UFC Fight Night 59 set him up for a featherweight title shot. He was already talking about moving up to lightweight, though, and Cerrone is asked about a potential fight with McGregor during a fan Q&A prior to UFC 185 weigh-ins in Dallas.
“I’d fight anybody if they paid me – free – I’d do it,” Cerrone said. “Conor’s doing it. Great job. Talked himself right into a title shot. Hell yeah. Good job, buddy. Son of a (expletive) fights. He fights. Everyone is like, ‘Wait until he gets a test.’ Then he wins. Now he’s got a real test. What if he wins? Then you’ve got to shut the (expletive) up, huh? Who am I to say he can’t win? I don’t know.”
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Sept. 2, 2015: McGregor rips Cerrone’s pay ahead of his title fight
During a media luncheon with reporters in Los Angeles, McGregor, who had just beaten Chad Mendes for the interim UFC featherweight belt two months prior at UFC 189, ripped the scheduled UFC on FOX 17 lightweight title fight between Cerrone and then-champ Rafael dos Anjos
“Rafael has nothing; Donald has nothing,” McGregor said. “Rafael will be lucky to make six figures this fight – and rightfully so. He shouldn’t even make six figures because he doesn’t even bring in six figures. Donald will probably scrape six figures because he shows up and fights every couple weeks, and he earns that six figures. But he don’t earn much more than that.
“Make no mistake: They want it as well,” he said. “They don’t give a (expletive) about each other. If either of them had the opportunity to scrap that fight and come fight me, I can change their life. I can make them rich. I have the numbers.”
It didn’t take long for McGregor’s comments to reach Cerrone, who sent a stern warning over Twitter, reminding the Irishman that the two would share the same building later that week for the UFC’s “Go Big” press conference in Las Vegas.
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Sept. 4, 2015: McGregor, Cerrone trade shots at ‘Go Big’ press conference
The true genesis of McGregor vs. Cerrone starts here. McGregor, who was at the press conference to promote his UFC 194 featherweight title unification bout with Jose Aldo, turns his attention to the lightweight division and has words for Cerrone, planting the seed for a future fight.
“I see stiffness when I look at that 155-pound division,” McGregor said. “Slow, stiff. I feel like they’re stuck in the mud almost. The featherweights, they hit like flyweights. So it’s nice down there just destroying them and killing that division. But I have my eye on that 155 division and I see them all stuck in the mud in there. We’ll see over time. But have I been wrong yet? No.”
Cerrone offers his response: “You have a monster here at 145, Aldo, about to beat your ass. You’ve beat nobody and you think you’re going to come up to 155 and make a statement? Sit down.”
Of course, though, McGregor gets the last word: “You’re fighting a guy (dos Anjos) that whooped your ass next. So you’ve got to come through that. Then I’ll consider. I’ll check the numbers with Frank (Fertitta), then I’ll decide if I want to change your bum life, as well.”
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Dec. 2, 2015: McGregor says UFC wants lightweight title fight vs. Cerrone
As McGregor gears up for his UFC 194 title unification bout with Aldo, he continues to discuss his plans to move up to the lightweight division in the near future. He reveals he spoke to the UFC brass about the move, but claims the promotion was only interested if Cerrone beat dos Anjos at UFC on FOX 17.
“I think the brass want that; they said to me that if Cerrone wins, they would do the lightweight fight,” McGregor said. “They would do a lightweight title fight because dos Anjos wouldn’t bring the numbers. It wouldn’t be as big with dos Anjos. But really, the fight will decide what happens. If it’s a war, if it’s a great fight, then all of a sudden dos Anjos’ stock rises and I’m sure he’s going to call me out. Then it’s there.
“I feel it’s almost set in stone. KO Jose and then KO whoever holds that lightweight belt. Within the next two fights I will be a two-weight world champion once again, but this time in the UFC.”
Feb. 12, 2016: Cerrone moves to welterweight, but still open to McGregor
Nearly two months after his quick TKO loss to dos Anjos in their title fight at UFC on FOX 17, Cerrone conducts a phone interview with MMA Junkie’s John Morgan ahead of his welterweight debut against Alex Oliveira at UFC Fight Night 83. He leaves the door open to fighting McGregor, who was coming off a 12-second knockout of Aldo at UFC 194 to become undisputed featherweight champion.
“It makes no difference to me (who I fight next),” Cerrone said. “I’m not going to say no. But I’m not going to get out there and say, ‘My next fight, title fight. It’s my dream.’ I don’t care. I don’t give a (expletive). Give me Conor McGregor. I’ll fight that (expletive). Other than that, I don’t care. Tell that dude to slow his (expletive) roll. You can’t be just calling out 170-pounders. So, whatever. Enough of him.”
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Feb. 17, 2016: McGregor trashes Cerrone for title loss
Following his knockout of Aldo, McGregor got his wish to attempt to become a two-weight UFC champion when he was booked against dos Anjos at UFC 196. In the lead-up to the fight, McGregor criticized Cerrone’s loss to the Brazilian months prior during an interview with Irish media outlet SevereMMA.
“Cerrone (expletive) out on that one big time,” McGregor said. “That’s why he can fight again this weekend. Ask Aldo if he can fight this weekend? When you win by KO, a true stoppage, you put your opponent out of action for 10 months to a year. He quit in there inside that octagon, that’s why he can go next weekend and fight every weekend. You can fight every week if you go in and quit. If you’re willing to die in there you wouldn’t have those turnarounds.”
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March 24, 2016: Cerrone rips McGregor after loss to Nate Diaz at UFC 196
After dos Anjos fell out of a scheduled lightweight title defense against McGregor at UFC 196 in March 2016, Cerrone was on the shortlist of replacement opponents. The fight ultimately went to Nate Diaz, though, who submitted McGregor in the second round of their matchup.
Following the loss (which was McGregor’s first in the UFC), Cerrone discusses the fight in a phone interview with MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn, making the argument he would’ve easily won had he got the fight.
“I wasn’t surprised at all,” Cerrone said. “That’s how I would have fought. I would have went in there and took his ass down and submitted him right away. I’m not even going to start on the (expletive) (expletive).
“I’ve got nothing to say about that (expletive) (expletive) to be honest with you. It is what it is. He did run his mouth, but when he sees me face-to-face he’s going to have to – I don’t play that game. When I see him I’m going to check him and see what’s up. I don’t give a (expletive) where it’s at. I’d love to fight the dude, but it’s a fight that’s not going to happen for a long time.”
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June 16, 2016: Cerrone dismisses idea of McGregor fight
Ahead of his matchup with Patrick Cote at UFC Fight Night 89, Cerrone’s interest in a matchup with McGregor begins to fade. He argues that Diaz would be the more compelling fight for him, and outlines, for the first time, how facing McGregor isn’t the massive payday it’s perceived to be.
“I’d rather fighter Diaz over Conor,” Cerrone said. “Everyone talks about that as the money fight, but people don’t understand. They’re like, ‘If you get that fight, that’s the money fight.’ No, I’m under contract. I get paid the same whether I fight Patrick Cote or I fight Conor. He might make more money because he got pay-per-view. I didn’t do a good job promoting myself and making myself big and get pay-per-view money. I get the same $80,000 to fight anybody.”
Nov. 13, 2018: Cerrone hints at McGregor fight
Following more than two years of silence on the McGregor vs. Cerrone front, Cerrone restores interest in the matchup following his submission win over Mike Perry at UFC Fight Night 139. He hinted at an “exciting” matchup for himself immediately after the fight, then took to social media and mentioned that he was waiting for McGregor to commit.
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Nov. 18, 2018: UFC president Dana White shuts down McGregor vs. Cerrone
Following Cerrone’s social media post, speculation begins to swirl about a potential matchup with McGregor. UFC president Dana White throws cold water on the idea, though, telling TMZ it’s not happening.
“Obviously, that’s the fight that ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone wants, but that’s not true,” White said.
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Jan. 16, 2019: Cerrone returns to lightweight, calls for McGregor
After a lengthy stint at welterweight, Cerrone returns to lightweight to defeat Alexander Hernandez at UFC on ESPN+ 1 in January. At open workouts prior to the fight, Cerrone says his plan is to win then get the fight with McGregor.
“We’re working for it, for sure,” Cerrone said. “Hopefully the next fight. Conor’s his own beast. He gets to dictate the spot what he wants, so it’s whether me and the UFC agree, it’s all kind of on him. He did a good job of cementing himself, so it’s all on him.”
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Jan. 19, 2019: McGregor tells Cerrone: ‘I’ll fight you’
Just minutes after Cerrone’s second-round TKO of Hernandez at UFC on ESPN+ 1, McGregor takes to Twitter and says he’s down for the matchup.
Of course, Cerrone says he’s ready to book the fight immediately.
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Feb. 8, 2019: White labels Cerrone ‘frontrunner’ to land McGregor fight
White changes his tune about Cerrone fighting McGregor after UFC on ESPN+ 1. He tells MMA Junkie’s John Morgan during an interview ahead of UFC 234 in Melbourne that Cerrone is the leading candidate to fight McGregor once the former champion makes his octagon return.
“Those two want to fight each other; they’ve both earned it,” White said. “‘Cowboy’s’ fought anybody we’ve ever put against him. We throw this young killer Hernandez at him, ‘Cowboy’s’ the underdog and he goes in and does it the way he did it, then Conor’s fought everybody. If these two want to fight, I’m down.”
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Feb. 8, 2019: Cerrone teases McGregor fight will be for interim belt
After learning that he was the frontrunner to fight McGregor next, Cerrone puts an additional layer of intrigue over the fight by teasing that an interim lightweight title could be on the line while champion Khabib Nurmagomedov continues to serve his suspension for his UFC 229 brawl with McGregor in October 2018.
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Feb. 8, 2019: Cerrone predicts second-round knockout of McGregor
With hopes of landing the McGregor fight in the summer, Cerrone makes his prediction for a showdown against “The Notorious” during a fan Q&A at UFC 234 weigh-ins in Melbourne, Australia.
“(My prediction is a) second-round head kick (knockout),” Cerrone said. “I’m just going to go out there and fight my ass off. I really am. Definitely the standup – I’m going to stand and fight him. I’m not going to try to wrestle him, I’m going to (expletive) stand and give you all what you want to see.”
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Feb. 18, 2019: White says McGregor vs. Cerrone ‘not even close’
After UFC commentator Joe Rogan says on his podcast that he was under the impression McGregor vs. Cerrone was a “a done deal” for April, White tells TMZ that is not the case.
“Not true,” White said. “Not even close. … It’s not even close to being done.”
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March 7, 2019: McGregor vs. Cerrone talks halt over main event placement
Following weeks of silence, ESPN reports that McGregor vs. Cerrone talks have stalled because the UFC wants the fight to serve as a co-main event. McGregor was reportedly unwilling to agree to those terms, and Cerrone says he was told the same.
“Conor won’t fight unless it’s a main event,” Cerrone said. “I don’t know if it’s an ego thing or a status thing for him. I don’t give a (expletive). I’ll fight anyone, anywhere, and I stand by that all the time. I guess he’s a prima donna and only takes main event spots. I don’t know.”
White says the booking “just didn’t happen” and reveals McGregor has turned his attention to a rematch with Nurmagomedov. And naturally, Cerrone is frustrated.
“We were all waiting on Conor for April, and he said he wasn’t ready,” Cerrone said. “I don’t know how in one breath you can say, ‘I’ll fight anyone, anytime, anywhere,’ and the next one say, ‘I’m not ready for that one.’
“I’m more annoyed that he went radio silent after putting it out. I get it: You want to stay relevant by putting it out there, but then you can’t go radio silent. Sack up, (expletive). Sign the (expletive) paper.”
May 1, 2019: Cerrone gives up on McGregor fight: ‘The chase is over’
Once the McGregor fight failed to materialize, Cerrone accepts a main event spot vs. Al Iaquinta at UFC on ESPN+ 9 in May. During a pre-fight interview with MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn, Cerrone declares his campaign to land a fight with McGregor as dead.
“The chase is over,” Cerrone said. “It’s done.”
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May 4, 2019: Cerrone reignites interest in McGregor fight
Cerrone defeats Iaquinta by lopsided unanimous decision at UFC on ESPN+ 9. Afterward, he calls for a lightweight title shot, but says he’s down to fight McGregor if the Irishman finally wants to put pen to paper.
“I want the title, whatever that means. Unless, Conor McGregor, you want to fight me in July,” Cerrone said. “I’m ready. Fourth of July, let’s do it.”
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May 8, 2019: White says McGregor vs. Cerrone ‘makes sense’
Just days after Cerrone’s impressive win over Iaquinta and post-fight mention of McGregor, White conducted an interview on The Jim Rome Show and puts the fight back on the table as a possibility for UFC 239 in July.
“This Cerrone fight makes sense, there’s a couple different options out there for him,” White said. “He was talking about the Cerrone fight at one point. I don’t really know but that fight makes sense.
“(McGregor) and I are getting together very soon within the next week and we’re going to figure out what next for him and I see him fighting this summer.”
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May 24, 2019: McGregor reveals hand injury
The possibility of a McGregor return fight in July hits a snag as the former UFC champ posts a photo on social media revealing a cast covering his broken hand.
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June 5, 2019: Cerrone focuses on title over McGregor
After McGregor’s injury, UFC books Cerrone in a late-notice title eliminator fight with Tony Ferguson at UFC 238 in June. At open workouts prior to the event, Cerrone says the belt is his focus, not a matchup with McGregor.
“No (I’m going to go with the title),” Cerrone said. “Conor’s had his shot. Sit your ass down now. (I’ll) take the belt.”
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Aug. 22, 2019: McGregor makes no mention of Cerrone
In a televised interview with ESPN, McGregor apologizes for his infamous bar punch in Ireland and discusses plans to return to the UFC in late 2019 or early 2020. He details a number of potential opponents he could face in his comeback fight, but does not drop Cerrone’s name during the interview.
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Sept. 12, 2019: Cerrone again dismisses McGregor fight
Following his loss to Ferguson at UFC 238, Cerrone is booked against Justin Gaethje in the UFC on ESPN+ 16 main event in September. He’s asked about a future fight with McGregor during media day, but expresses doubt about McGregor returning to the octagon, much less getting the fight.
“It’s been a lot of talk, a lot of years,” Cerrone said. “Who knows? To me, chasing that is not even worth it to me. Are you going to come back? (Expletive) or get off the pot, bro.”
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Oct. 24, 2019: McGregor announces UFC return for Jan. 18
After more than a year away from the octagon, McGregor hosts a press conference in Moscow and announces he will return to the octagon at UFC 246 on Jan. 18 in Las Vegas, an event that had yet to be revealed by the UFC.
“I would like to announce the return of ‘The Notorious’ Conor McGregor will take place on Jan. 18 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nev.,” McGregor said. “Ask the UFC who the opponent is, because I do not give a (expletive) who the opponent is.”
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Oct. 31, 2019: White targets McGregor vs. Cerrone for UFC 246
One week after McGregor’s comeback announcement, White confirms a matchup with Cerrone is in the works for Jan. 18 in an interview with TMZ, but emphasizes that contract are not signed.
“We have nothing done, nothing is even close to being done, so I hate to even talk about this stuff and say it, because it might not happen,” White said. “It might happen, but we’re looking at ‘Cowboy.’ No. 3 vs. No. 5 (in the UFC rankings), Jan. 18 at the T-Mobile (Arena) in Las Vegas.”
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Nov. 1, 2019: McGregor coach confirms comeback plans
During an interview with MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn at UFC 244 media day, McGregor’s longtime head coach John Kavanagh confirms his star pupil is back in the gym at SBG Ireland in Dublin training consistently and he fully expects plans for a return fight against Cerrone on Jan. 18 to come to fruition.
“I have a feeling it’s pretty close for contracts to be signed and everything to be made 100 percent,” Kavanagh said “Our mindset anyway is we’re preparing for 11 weeks Saturday.”
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Nov. 28, 2019: White announces McGregor vs. Cerrone for UFC 246
White tells ESPN that McGregor vs. Cerrone is a done deal for the main event of UFC 246 on Jan. 18 in Las Vegas. The matchup comes with a twist, though, as it is set to take place in the welterweight division and not at lightweight.
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Nov. 30, 2019: McGregor pleasant to Cerrone in first exchange
In their first interaction since the fight was booked, McGregor comments on Cerrone’s Instagram account wishing him and his family well during the holiday season exactly 50 days prior to UFC 246.
