The UFC 229 betting lines say otherwise, but Conor McGregor is predicting a first-round knockout in his grudge match with Khabib Nurmagomedov in this five-round lightweight title fight.
Of course, every fighter believes they are the best. Every one of them feels they are invincible. They are all cocky and arrogant. Some are just louder about it than others.
The truth will come out on Saturday, Oct. 6 at T-Mobile Arena on the Las Vegas Strip. Nurmagomedov (The Eagle) is the favorite at -155 (UFC betting lines provided by Bovada). McGregor (The Notorious) is the underdog at +125.
That means bettors will have to wager $155 to win a $100 profit on The Eagle ($155 bet + $100 profit = $255 total return). A $100 wager on The Notorious will pay $225 on a winning ticket ($100 bet + $125 profit = $225 total return). You can take a swing at the moneyline and many other prop bets at Bovada, TopBet or BetOnline.
When asked during a recent pre-fight press conference what round he will end the title fight, McGregor replied: “I believe one (round). He’s a glass jaw.”
This fight is obviously a big one for the former UFC lightweight and featherweight champion. It’s also the first fight inside of the octagon under the UFC banner in nearly two years for McGregor, who recently signed a lucrative six-fight deal with the UFC president Dana White.
McGregor has not been seen in the octagon since UFC 205 when he won the lightweight title from Eddie Alvarez.
Now, the main event in UFC 229 offers the matchup of the sport’s biggest star against one of its most dominant fighters. Add in the fact they have bad blood from outside the octagon, stemming from a bus attack incident earlier this year, and you have what many consider the biggest fight in MMA history.
While McGregor is confident in his abilities, he might be overlooking one obvious fact: Khabib has never lost.
The Russian fighter is 26-0-0 and the current lightweight champion. The 30-year-old is also a two-time Combat Sambo world champion. He last fought in April where he won a unanimous decision over Al Iaquinta for the belt.
McGregor is 21-3-0, with 18 knockouts. Upon defeating Alvarez for the UFC Lightweight Championship at UFC 205 in November 2016, he became the first fighter in UFC history to hold titles in two weight divisions simultaneously.
The 30-year-old returns to the scene where he lost a boxing match in August 2017 against his last opponent, 11-time champion Floyd Mayweather.
All three of The Notorious’s career losses have been to submission.
Prediction — Nurmagomedov (-155). The Russian seems to get better with every UFC fight. If he can avoid being rocked early in this championship bout, his odds improve with every round.
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