Conor McGregor will make his much anticipated return to the octagon this Saturday as he squares up with fan favorite Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone in the main event of UFC 246. Ahead of the January 18 bout, McGregor sat down with ESPN's Ariel Helwani for a wide ranging interview, during which the Irish superstar shed some light on his decision to return with a fight in the Welterweight division.
To put it simply, McGregor is supremely confident in his abilities at 155 or 170, and believes he could beat Cowboy even if he had the flu.
“I know, I could have (made his life more difficult),” says McGregor. “I just don’t think he looks well at 155. He’s a 170 fighter. I’d beat him at any weight. I’d beat him if I had the flu. I don’t need that [a fight at Lightweight]. I just want to focus on my training and keep me sharp. I don’t want to cut and then build and then cut. I’m happy where I’m at.”
Check out an excerpt from the Helwani interview below.
McGregor (21-4) has not competed in the UFC since October of 2018, when he lost to undefeated Lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov on a card that ended in complete chaos. He has only fought at the Welterweight level on two occasions - both coming against Nate Diaz. Meanwhile, Cowboy (36-13) is coming off back-to-back losses to Justin Gaethje and Tony Ferguson.
UFC 246, taking place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, is set for this Saturday, January 18. Conor and Cowboy will hold a press conference on Wednesday and if McGregor's previous pressers are any indication, it should make for a highly entertaining face off ahead of their clash later this week.