By Henry Barsch ‘20

40 seconds.

Just 40 seconds had passed, but the UFC matchup between Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone and Conor McGregor was already over.

In one of the most highly anticipated fights in recent memory, the famed fighter from Dublin, Ireland made quick work of the American veteran. The matchup was not preceded by McGregor’s famous trash talk, as he demonstrated immense respect for Cerrone at the weigh-in and press conference.

The fight began with a couple swings from each side, but it very quickly became a close quarters fight. As the two fighters grappled with each other, McGregor threw a few shoulders into the face of Cerrone, breaking his nose in the process. This impressive and high IQ move was the beginning of the end for Cerrone, as he lost the fight not long after.

Once the grappling was over, McGregor used a swift kick to the head of Cerrone to knock him over, and began to pound on him. The official then broke up the fight and ruled the contest a technical knockout win for McGregor. The official elapsed time was 40 seconds into round one.

Cerrone’s grandmother entered the ring after the fight to support her grandson and was met with an embrace from McGregor himself. McGregor later said, “You see her. She’s a prevalent part of the game, isn’t she? Donald’s fought so much, and that lady is there from the start of the fight to the finish. What a lady. What a man she’s raised. I’m very, very, very honored to share the cage with Donald. I’m very proud. He’s a good man, and he’s got good people behind him. Much respect.”

Ironically, McGregor is no stranger to swift wins in UFC. He holds the record for fastest finish in UFC title fight history, with a 13 second knockout to José Aldo for the Featherweight title in 2015.

The fight was McGregor’s first UFC win since Nov. 2016, as he had lost to Khabib Nurmagomedov previously. McGregor’s current all-time record stands at 22-4-0.

Viewer Bill O’Connell said, “Watching McGregor fight was a thing of beauty.”

Another viewer, Tom Crane, said, “McGregor’s sheer grit and determination allowed him to put a quick end to Cowboy Cerrone.”

McGregor’s next fight is to be determined, but he is now eligible to challenge for the Welterweight title.