40 seconds: this is the time it took Conor McGregor to defeat Donald Cerrone and recover all his splendor, 15 months after his resounding defeat against Khabib Nurmagomedov. The Irish fighter returned through the big door to the Mixed Martial Arts with a nearly record knockout victory in just 40 seconds.

When the fans who filled the stands at the Las Vegas T-Mobile Arena had barely taken possession of their seats, McGregor placed a kick with his left leg in Cerrone's chin in the first seconds of the stellar fight.

This time, there was no general fight in and around the Octagon after the words of the Irishman against the American, but there was a great respect from the winner and a joy that has symbolized all the anger put by McGregor for his success after that many would give him as a finished legend.

"I feel very good. I worked hard to get back from where I was ," McGregor said after this 22nd victory in 26 fights, the first in the welterweight for the UFC champion.

"I record my name once more in history, for the Irish and for my mother," he said in a burst of euphoria after the fight.

Very aggressive from the beginning (he knew that the fight had to be short and decided to stand up to turn in his favor against an experienced fighter, very dangerous for his control on the ground), he benefited from a small impulse, or rather knee (right) on a stand and lightly shook his opponent in the temple.

"I already anticipated that I was coming to the fight better prepared than ever , focused and with a speed that nobody could touch me and that has been what happened in the cage," said McGregor at the end of the fight and leaving his mark at 22-4-0 .

Cerrone, 36 , had the opportunity to get rid of the stigma that has pursued him during his career of never having been able to beat him, but again in an ideal setting like Las Vegas he did not have the opportunity to offer resistance to McGregor.

"I destroy myself completely"

Model of power and precision, he placed with an impressive kick his left knee on the chin , three other blows on the shoulder that made Cerrone recoil, then fall with a high kick, two left hooks and a burst of several blows, forcing the referee To end the carnage .

"He destroyed me completely," said the American, very marked in the face, who fought in his 50th fight (36 wins, 14 losses). Just before, McGregor rushed to the ground to comfort and kiss on the forehead his adversary whom he had said "respect greatly" before the fight.

To recover his audience, McGregor went from being the bad boy that has given him such a bad reputation, and was calm and humble. Because the last three years have been years of successive failures and escapes, between the defeat in English boxing against the untouchable Floyd Mayweather and the suffering in the octagon against Nurmagomedov , whose wife had insulted and mocked his Muslim faith.

He has also had to face American Justice accused of two assaults and is still under investigation for another alleged sexual assault in Ireland.

McGregor , who had promised to stay active in 2020, fighting up to three times or more, already met the first and did so with tuition.

Nothing is known of his next rival, but before Cerrone he left no doubt that everything he had said about his seriousness when preparing for the fight since he demonstrated it inside the cage, where he became more "The Notorious" than ever

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