In the main event of UFC 246 former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion Conor McGregor returns to action for the first time since his defeat at the hands of current lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. Both fighters are known for their action styles, and the winner of this fight could end up with an overly impressive score on DraftKings. To prep for the fight, take a look back at the top-10 DraftKings score of both fighters. Even if you are not a DFS enthusiast, the overall DraftKings score does a good job of approximating offensive performance, and both of these men excel in that category.
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10. Conor McGregor vs. Dennis Siver at UFC Fight Night on Jan. 18, 2015 (115 Points)
In his last fight prior to his first title shot, McGregor absolutely turned it up for a second-round finish. Siver managed to survive the opening frame, but he was outlanded 43 to 27 on significant strikes and failed on all three of his takedown attempts. The second round was more of the same only worse. McGregor landed 14 of his 23 significant strikes at distance, scored a knockdown and finished the bout with seven significant strikes on the floor.
9. Conor McGregor vs. Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205 on Nov. 12, 2016 (116 Points)
Any time a fighter scores three knockdowns, it is going to lead to a good DraftKings score. However, McGregor was clearly not satisfied with the official scorer. Nearly three years after the bout, "The Notorious" complained on Twitter that he should have been awarded five knockdowns instead of three. Even with the perceived short changing, McGregor still finished with 64 landed significant strikes, a pass, a knockdown and the second-round finish.
8. Conor McGregor vs. Diego Brandao UFC Fight Night on July 19, 2014 (117 Points)
The crowd was certainly behind McGregor, as he fought in his home country for the first time since signing with the UFC. He was patient and persistent as he chased the former winner of "The Ultimate Fighter" around the cage. He uncharacteristically landed only 36 percent of his significant strike attempts and even scored a takedown. However, in the end, he landed 18 significant strikes, scored a knockdown and finished the fight with 55 seconds left in the first round.
7. Donald Cerrone vs. Dennis Siver UFC 137 on Oct. 29, 2011 (117.5 Points)
Siver is the only opponent to make this list twice. Even though that is a bit of a dubious honor, it does say something about his durability. Even though Cerrone finished him in the first round, he was able to stick around, which allowed "Cowboy" to score major points on DraftKings. Cerrone landed only nine significant strikes and seven at distance. However, that was still enough to score two knockdowns and finish the fight in the first round.
6. Donald Cerrone vs. Al Iaquinta at UFC Fight Night on May 4, 2019 (119 Points)
This is the first fight on the list to reach the final bell. Last summer Cerrone took home a one-sided victory over Iaquinta. All three of the judges gave Iaquinta the second round, so he avoided the shutout. However, it really became a blowout in the latter rounds. Cerrone scored knockdowns in the third and fourth rounds, and he outlanded his opponent 97 to 47 over the final three rounds. Even though the performance was dominant, Cerrone went on to lose his next two bouts via stoppage. He now comes into this bout against McGregor without the much-needed momentum.
5. Donald Cerrone vs. Paul Kelly at UFC 126 on Feb. 5, 2011 (124.5 Points)
Nearly two years before McGregor made his UFC debut, Cerrone was filling up the stat sheet against Kelly. Cerrone showed off a lot of his grappling ability in this fight as he registered seven passes in less than seven minutes. He finally got the submission in the second round and effectively chased Kelly from the UFC. He fought three more times for other promotions before being found guilty of heroin trafficking and sentenced to 13 years in prison.
4. Donald Cerrone vs. Alexander Hernandez at UFC Fight Night on Jan. 19, 2019 (125 Points)
It is hard to believe now, but at the time, some thought this was supposed to be a showcase fight for Hernandez. The brash younger fighter had looked solid in his first two trips into the Octagon and took a major step up in competition. Cerrone had other plans. The first round was relatively close, but "Cowboy" outlanded him 36 to 31 on significant strikes. In the second round, Cerrone pulled away and finished the fight. He outlanded Hernandez 22 to 11 at distance and eight to seven in the clinch before scoring a knockdown, landing 14 significant strikes on the floor and finishing the fight.
3. Donald Cerrone vs. Patrick Cote at UFC Fight Night on Jun. 18, 2016 (127.5 Points)
Cote challenged for the UFC title back in 2008 and nearly eight years later he was still fighting in the promotion. Unfortunately for him, the sport had pretty much passed him when he faced off against Cerrone in 2016. It was a thorough beat down. In the first round, Cerrone flexed his grappling with a pair of takedowns and a pair of passes. He then turned it on with his striking. In the final two rounds, he outlanded Cote 67 to 40 and scored three knockdowns. The stoppage finally came about halfway through the third round.
2. Donald Cerrone vs. Yancy Medeiros at UFC Fight Night on Feb. 18, 2018 (134 Points)
Cerrone's career high in terms of DraftKings points came against Medeiros. It was a perfect storm in terms of DFS. He finished the fight in the first round, but he also managed to land three knockdowns. Oddly enough he landed only a single significant strike in the clinch, and that was the strike that ended the night for Medeiros.
1. Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz at UFC 202 on Aug. 20, 2016 (142 Points)
After being upset by Diaz, McGregor returned a few months later and scored a majority decision victory over his rival. It was only the second fight of his UFC career to go to a decision, and a draw scorecard would have been absurd. McGregor got off to a strong start and scored a trio of knockdowns in the first two rounds. Diaz got on the board in the third round by outlanding McGregor 49 to 26 on significant strikes. Judge Glenn Trowbridge even scored it a 10-8 round for Diaz. However, McGregor recovered his composure, won the fourth round and took the decision on two of the three scorecards. For the fight, McGregor finished with 164 landed significant strikes, three knockdowns and the decision win bonus.
