Conor McGregor vs. Donald Cerrone has been made official for UFC 246 on January 18, 2020, in Las Vegas. MMAOddsbreaker staff writer Adam Martin and leading MMA oddsmaker Nick Kalikas give their immediate reaction to the fight and the opening odds in a live special edition of the MMAOB Daily Podcast.
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The opening odds for the fight are as follows.
UFC 246 Opening Odds
Conor McGregor (-275)
Donald Cerrone (+215)
This is what Kalikas said about the matchup and the opening odds.
“My opening line personally is going to -275 for Conor McGregor. The comeback on Donald Cerrone is going to be +215. I think that’s a fair spot. Lines have been floating around a little bit before the matchup was announced and all the rumors started circulating a little bit. There are sportsbooks out there that opened Conor around -160. I think that’s far too low. The betting line’s going to be bet up so if there are books that have it under 2-to-1 right now, if I was you guys I’d go out and pounce on it. Because once the opening line officially hits the sportsbook — I’m going to send mine to Several Bookmakers shortly at -275 — if there are places out there under 2-to-1 I think kind of a mistake. It’s a little bit too low, it’s going to be bet up, so I would take advantage of that,” Kalikas said.
Kalikas was asked what his initial thoughts on the actual matchup are. Here’s what he said.
“It is an interesting matchup. It’s not going to be an easy fight for either guy, but I do think Conor McGregor should be a solid favorite. The best path for victory for Cerrone is to get the fight to the ground and trying to submit McGregor. On the feet, Cerrone definitely has a shot but I think McGregor probably picks him apart and hurts him so that’s his path to victory. If he can keep it on the feet he probably wins and wins in impressive fashion. That’s my early take. I think the opening line is fair at around -275 for Conor McGregor,” Kalikas said.
Kalikas was also asked about his thoughts on the fight taking place at welterweight. Here’s what he said.
“I think both of them are comfortable at 170 lbs right now. I think with Conor McGregor coming back from the time off, he’s probably gained some muscle mass, he’s probably gained al little bit of weight as he’s got older. So I think 170 lbs definitely going to be a better move for him right now coming back from the time off. As for Cerrone, he’s been bouncing back and forth of course. He had a pretty successful run at 170lbs and was a warrior at 155lbs. So I think this is just a comfortable fight and it’s coming up soon. I think the weight is ok and it’s not going to really matter too much. I don’t think at 170lbs it’s going to impact the fight too much,” Kalikas said.
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