Cerrone: McGregor's shoulder strikes 'threw me way off guard'

Donald Cerrone says he was stunned by Conor McGregor's unorthodox attacks at UFC 246.

"Cowboy" lost to McGregor by TKO in 40 seconds in the welterweight main event Saturday night in Las Vegas. McGregor blitzed Cerrone as soon as the opening bell sounded, landing several shoulder strikes - quite uncommon in MMA - and following up with a head kick and a barrage of punches.

"I had never seen anything like that," Cerrone said of McGregor's shoulder shots in his postfight interview. "They threw me way off guard."

Cerrone said the strikes "distorted the shit out of me."

"He busted my nose, it started bleeding, then he stepped back and head-kicked me," Cerrone added. "I was like, 'Oh man, this is happening this fast? I got my ass whipped early.'"

McGregor and Cerrone displayed mutual respect in the lead-up to their clash. "Cowboy" continued his praise for the former two-division champion after the fight had wrapped up.

"What a great game plan he had," Cerrone said. "It was awesome."

Cerrone suffered his third straight loss, while McGregor picked up his first victory in more than three years.