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Conor McGregor defeated Donald Cerrone in the main event last night at UFC 246 in front of 19,040 fans at T-Mobile Arena for a gate of $11,089,129.30, the "fourth highest in UFC history" (ESPN.com, 1/19). McGregor now has "put himself in position for another fight, perhaps as early as March 7 at UFC 248 in Las Vegas, or maybe at UFC 249 on April 18 in Brooklyn." UFC President Dana White said that he "wanted to set up a rematch" with Khabib Nurmagomedov and that it "would be the biggest fight in UFC history." White said of McGregor, "He’s not just the biggest star in MMA, he’s one of the biggest stars ever in the history of combat sports. I put him up there with Mike Tyson and Sugar Ray Leonard" (L.A. TIMES, 1/19). Several celebrities attended last night's fight including Kristaps Porzingis, Jeremy Renner, Matthew McConaughey and Tom Brady (THE DAILY).
USA TODAY goes with, "The Sports World Is Better With Conor McGregor Back In the Octagon." In N.Y., George Willis writes, "Happy days for the UFC. Happy Days for Las Vegas. Happy days for ESPN" (N.Y. POST, 1/19). SI.com's Rohan Nadkarni writes, "After the fight, White was nearly salivating at the future with McGregor" (SI.com, 1/19).
