Several Bookmakers has opened Conor McGregor as an underdog for a second straight fight in the combat sports arena.
The polarizing Irishman was a massive underdog in his boxing match against Floyd Mayweather last summer, and now he’s an underdog in the Lightweight title fight versus Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 in Las Vegas, which ws announced earlier today.
The last time McGregor was an underdog in the Octagon was UFC 194 when he closed as a -109 underdog against Jose Aldo (-111), but the fight was essentially a tossup. He won that fight via knockout in just seven seconds. McGregor last fought in the UFC nearly two years ago when he defeated then-champion Eddie Alvarez via second round TKO at UFC 205 in New York to become a multi-division champ.
Nurmagomedov (26-0) won the vacant UFC lightweight title at UFC 223 this past April, and bad blood has been brewing between him and McGregor, culminating in McGregor’s ill-advised bus attack before UFC 223 which resulted in three counts of assault, reckless endangerment, criminal mischief and menacing,
MMA oddsmaker Nick Kalikas had this to say about the highly-anticipated matchup:
“This should be more of your a classic wrestler versus striker matchup. Style wise, it’s a nightmare for Conor. He needs to stay off his back, which will be tough to do. Nurmagomedov has been one of the most dominant wrestlers the UFC has ever seen and he will look to utilize that exact gameplan against the elite striking ability and punching power of McGregor. One of McGregor’s toughest career tests was the wrestling of Chad Mendes. Khabib will present that same threat except he is bigger, stronger, has more stifling top control and significantly better conditioning. That being said, Nurmagomedov showed flaws in the stand-up against Michael Johnson so if McGregor is going to win, it’ll have to be during the brief moments both fighters are upright. From a betting perspective this fight has the potential to produce a record handle for sportsbooks.”
Odds for the upcoming lightweight title bout are posted below:
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UFC Lightweight Title
Conor McGregor +155
Khabib Nurmagomedov -185
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CLICK BELOW TO BET ON McGREGOR VS NURMAGOMEDOV
