The Ultimate Fighting Championship on Saturday kicked off its 2020 campaign with UFC 246, as Conor McGregor made his long-awaited return to the cage in the main event and locked horns with Donald Cerrone at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. While there were a number of memorable performances, five stood out.
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5. Roxanne Modafferi
The Syndicate MMA standout leaned on takedowns, positional control and heavy ground-and-pound as she upset the previously unbeaten and heavily favored Maycee Barber by unanimous decision in the featured prelim. Modafferi was awarded 30-27, 30-27 and 30-26 nods from the judges. Barber spent much of the first round pinned beneath “The Happy Warrior,” but her situation took an ominous turn in the second. After absorbing a Modafferi jab, the 21-year-old Roufusport prospect’s left knee appeared to buckle underneath her. Modafferi moved into top position and sliced open the stricken Roufusport export with a well-placed elbow strike that had blood flowing freely. Barber retreated to her corner with a visible limp between rounds, clearly compromised by her injured knee. Modafferi struck for a takedown in the third round, took advantage of the situation, extracted herself from an attempted keylock and chewed up the remaining time with effective grappling.
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4. Sodiq Yusuff
The Dana White’s Contender Series graduate extended his run of consecutive victories to six as he laid claim to a unanimous decision over Team Alpha Male’s Andre Fili in a three-round battle at 145 pounds. All three judges struck 29-28 scorecards in Yusuff’s favor. The Lloyd Irvin protégé unleashed power punches with both hands in the first round, withstood an exchange in which both men were hurt and threatened with a kimura. Yusuff assumed top position in the middle frame after catching a kick from the Californian and operated between half guard, side control and full mount. Fili switched from orthodox to southpaw in Round 3 and flummoxed his counterpart with aggression and pace, all while benefitting from a noticeable slowdown from Yusuff.
Photo: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC (Getty Images)
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3. Drew Dober
The Elevation Fight Team rep wiped out Nasrat Haqparast with punches in the first round of their lightweight tilt. Haqparast succumbed to blows 70 seconds into Round 1, his three-fight winning streak having run its course. The 31-year-old Dober stayed composed under heavy fire from the Tristar Gym prospect. He countered a leg kick and floored Haqparast with a perfectly timed overhand left. Sensing the finish was near, Dober pounced on his fallen adversary and dropped jackhammer left hands until the job was done.
Photo: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC (Getty Images)
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2. Diego Ferreira
The Fortis MMA stalwart submitted former UFC and World Extreme Cagefighting champion Anthony Pettis with a rear-naked choke in the second round of their featured lightweight pairing. Pettis conceded defeat 1:46 into Round 2, submitting for just the second time in his 32-fight career. Ferreira closed the distance in the first round, advanced to the back and secured his position with hooks, making his intentions known. Early in Round 2, he powered into top position, threaded his hooks once more and bit down on the choke to force the tapout from Pettis.
Photo: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC (Getty Images)
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1. Conor McGregor
McGregor sent shockwaves rippling through the mixed martial arts world like only he can, and he needed less than a minute to do so. Making his first appearance since he submitted to a Khabib Nurmagomedov neck crank on Oct. 6, 2018, the former two-division UFC titleholder dispatched Donald Cerrone with a head kick and follow-up punches in the main event. Cerrone bit the dust 40 seconds into Round 1. McGregor surprised “Cowboy” at the start with a series of shoulder strikes from the clinch, leaving visible damage to his left eye and nose. Upon separation, the SBG Ireland cornerstone clipped Cerrone with a head kick, uncorked a flying knee, overwhelmed him with punches and waited for referee Herb Dean to call for the stoppage.
Photo: Steve Marcus (Getty Images)
