Conor McGregor defeated Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone via TKO in less than a minute on Saturday night, and MMA fans are in awe of the quick bout. The pair fought as the main event for UFC 246, with McGregor dominating the Denver, Colorado, native from the get-go.
When the pair first locked up, McGregor dealt out brutal shoulder hits to Cerrone’s face, causing the later to bleed.
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From there, McGregor struck Cerrone with a wicked kick to the face that his opponent never recovered from. The 31-year-old Irish fighter then began to pile punches on him until the referee stopped the fight.
Most fans were freaking out over the victory, which signaled a comeback for McGregor after a tough loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 and a boxing loss to Floyd Mayweather in August 2017. However, some were a bit irked that the PPV bout was so brief.
Scroll through to see some of the best reactions to the fight.
McGregor Is Back
He’s back!!! pic.twitter.com/yVahu5MANH
— MMAClay (@MMACLAY_) January 19, 2020
From McGregor’s fans, the clear takeaway was that McGregor was back in peak form after briefly stepping away from fighting.
As this cocky gif expresses, McGregor may soon be back to his smart-talking and pot-stirring antics as he gears up for another opponent.
Domination
Mf was like: pic.twitter.com/5DANSKrEsl
— ☔⃠⃠⎷ ₯ ⎳ ⬢ (@uliseses7) January 19, 2020
A lot of reactions poured in about how brief the match was, with many freaking out over McGregor’s domination of Cerrone throughout the seconds-long fight.
It was quick and brutal, and lots of fans loved it.
Money and Hard Work
There is always tons of background work. You only see 30 seconds of the result, but not the hard work and effort put into the sport (craft)
— BZFruits&Juices (@bzfruitz) January 19, 2020
As the above exchange shows, some fans were amazed at the realization that McGregor just walked away with millions of dollars for about 30 seconds of work.
However, as the second fan notes, there is so much more to a UFC of this caliber than just the fight itself.
PPV Woes
feel sorry for the suckers that paid for this 😂
— miek (@miek52962388) January 19, 2020
In the negative realm of things, some people were sympathizing with PPV buyers.
While there was a whole card of matches, McGregor vs. Cerrone was the clear draw. Many felt that those who paid for such a brief fight were ripped off.
PPV Laughs
McGregor’s the new Tyson. People getting mad upset about buying the ppvs 😂😂
— Donny_Black (@DonnyBlack18) January 19, 2020
While some felt at least a little bad for the PPV buyers, some thought it was amusing.
This above user compared McGregor’s domination to Mike Tyson’s, think it’s funny when people complain about how good McGregor is.
Espinoza Weighs In
I’d be upset if I bought that PPV.
— Stephen Espinoza (@StephenEspinoza) January 19, 2020
Stephen Espinoza, the president of Showtime Sports, also had a hot take on the situation.
He threw some shade at the entire event, saying he would be “upset” if he had spent money on the PPV.
Praise for the Fighters
@TheNotoriousMMA is BACK and holy hell that power was insane. Props to @Cowboycerrone for being as classy as we knew he would be. I was one of the doubters who thought Cerrone might pull it out in deep waters, but Connor shut me right up. Wow. #ufc246 #tko
— Joe Saunders (@theviolenceguy) January 19, 2020
PPV woes aside, many were just amazed by the physicality on display.
McGregor earned a load of praise, but many gave Cerrone his due for keeping the loss “classy.”
McGregor for the Win
Spectacular performance from Conor McGregor. Shoulder strikes, head kick, flying knee and relentless ground and pound. All in 40 seconds! #UFC246
— David T. Hanmer (@DT_Hanmer) January 19, 2020
Regardless of Cerrone’s actions, McGregor still came out on top, and many viewers walked away wondering who McGregor will battle next.
Photo Credit: Steve Marcus/Getty Images
