Gaethje: 'I will pray many times' that Cerrone KOs McGregor

Justin Gaethje isn't hiding the fact that he'll be rooting for Donald Cerrone at UFC 246.

"The Highlight" said he thinks Conor McGregor will return to the win column on Jan. 18 in Las Vegas, but he hopes "Cowboy" finishes the Irishman.

“I’m sure I would lean toward Conor," Gaethje told SiriusXM's "MMA Tonight" on Thursday. "Distance management and timing are super, super valuable, and that’s what I think was the big key to my success in that fight, my last fight against 'Cowboy.' And I think that’s going to be a factor in this fight. But I will pray many times over that 'Cowboy' knocks him out.”

The lightweight contender has won three straight fights by first-round knockout, and he could be in line to face the winner of Khabib Nurmagomedov versus Tony Ferguson.

But UFC president Dana White said recently that if McGregor gets past Cerrone, he'll meet the winner of the April 18 lightweight title bout - even though the 31-year-old's fight will be at welterweight.

Gaethje said he doesn't think McGregor fighting the Nurmagomedov-Ferguson winner makes any sense.

The Arizona native boasts finishes of Cerrone, Edson Barboza, and Michael Johnson, among others. He made his UFC debut in 2017 after a dominant run in WSOF.