UFC 246: Startling difference in appearance of Conor McGregor as a Featherweight vs Welterweight
Conor McGregor weighed in at 170 lbs. ahead of his clash with Donald Cerrone at UFC 246. The Saturday night pay-per-view at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas will see 'The Notorious' face off against the 'Cowboy' in a Welterweight main event fight.
At the weigh-ins on Friday, McGregor looked better, healthier, and more confident than he ever looked as a Featherweight. His appearance now is a far cry from how he looked during his weigh-ins at 145 lbs.
With his fight against Cerrone at 170 pounds coming up, let's take a look at how the difference in the size and mass as a Welterweight and as a Featherweight reveals how much the Irishman's body has undergone change over the years as a fighter.
Conor McGregor: Featherweight vs. Welterweight
The last time McGregor fought at 145 lbs. was against Jose Aldo in a title fight in December 2015. He claimed the Featherweight Championship by defeating Aldo in a 13-second knock out at UFC 194.
This is how he looked four years ago at the weigh-in for the fight.
After winning that title, Conor turned his eyes to make a mark in another division. First, he engaged in a two-bout rivalry at Welterweight with Nate Diaz next year. Diaz submitted him in the first contest and Conor squared it up with a decision win in the second fight.
After that, he went down to 155 lbs. and won the Lightweight belt off Eddie Alvarez in a second-round TKO. His last appearance was in the famous 2018 fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov, where he was submitted by 'The Eagle' 3 minutes into the fourth round.
After keeping his fans waiting for more than two years, McGregor is finally back to the Octagon. He surprised a lot of people by requesting the fight with 'Cowboy' to be at 170 pounds, but a glimpse at his look as a Welterweight would convince anyone that it was a good call on his part. McGregor indeed looks better than he ever has before.
This is how McGregor looked on Friday.
McGregor has said that he is back at Welterweight for now, and looks forward to fighting three times in 2020. But he could consider dropping down to Lightweight in the near future. Going Featherweight, however, seems to be off the plate, for obvious reasons.
McGregor vs. Cerrone will take place in the main event of UFC 246 on Saturday, January 18 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
UFC 246 can be watched live and exclusively in India on Sony Ten 2 and Sony Ten 2 HD in English and on Sony Ten 3 and Ten 3 HD in Hindi at 8:30 AM on 19th January 2020.