UFC Fight Night 46: McGregor stops Brandao in 1st for 11th consecutive victory

As it turns out, not even 11 months off because of a torn ACL can stop Conor McGregor these days.

Nearly a calendar year since last stepping in the octagon, the 26-year-old featherweight looked like he hadn't missed a beat on Saturday as the UFC held UFC Fight Night 46 in Dublin, Ireland.

Fighting in front of his hometown fans, McGregor stopped Diego Brandao in the first round, winning by TKO via punches with 12 seconds to go in the frame. Saved by the bell, Brandao was not, and the Brazilian (18-10) has now dropped back-to-back fights, this one in impressive fashion. 

McGregor was relentless, starting the fight with a spinning back-kick and only once being slowed by a Brandao takedown. Doubling Brandao in strikes in the fight, McGregor utilized a heavy straight left to floor him late, pouncing on him with right hands to earn the stoppage - just like he predicted.

"I said I would put him away in the first round; I put him away in the first round," McGregor said after the fight. "It would take something special to come over to my hometown and take this away from me. There's not a man alive that come on this soil and beat me."

The claim that nobody can beat him on Irish soil may actually be an understatement. While he's now 11-2 in his home country, he's also 4-0 elsewhere, 15-2 overall and 11-0 since the beginning of 2011. It seems regardless of location, it's going to be tough to stop him, and the featherweight division is now on notice that he's back.

The results for the rest of the card, which was flush with finishes, are as follows: