Conor McGregor will be looking to reclaim the UFC lightweight championship belt he won in his last octagon appearance when he returns to action on Saturday to battle reigning champion Khabib Nurmagomedov as a +130 underdog on the Khabib-McGregor odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
“The Notorious” became the first fighter in UFC history to simultaneously hold championship belts in two weight classes when he recorded a second-round TKO victory over Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205, and now takes a 21-3 professional MMA record into Saturday night’s bout at T-Mobile Arena.
McGregor would subsequently be stripped of both the UFC featherweight and UFC lightweight titles, but remains undefeated fighting in either of those weight classes since suffering a first-round loss to Joseph Duffy in his lightweight debut at Cage Warriors 39 back in 2010.
The controversial Irishman’s win streak includes victories over eight lightweight or featherweight opponents since joining the UFC in 2013, including seven KO or TKO victories inside two rounds. That track record has fueled strong -140 odds of the fight lasting UNDER 2.5 total rounds on the UFC 229 props, while McGregor is pegged as a +400 bet to claim a first-round win for the 14th time in his career.
While McGregor has built his reputation on explosive striking power and quick finishes, Khabib has built his steady climb to the top of the UFC lightweight division by regularly claiming victory on points. Nurmagomedov is the -160 favorite on the UFC 229 odds.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9rlVNN6zLs&feature=youtu.be
The 30-year-old Russian needed all five rounds to get past Al Iaquinta and win the UFC lightweight crown as -600 chalk at UFC 223, improving his unblemished pro MMA record to 26-0. Khabib has now seen six of 10 fights decided by the judges since joining the UFC in 2012, and is listed as a +400 bet to successfully defend his title for the first time with a win on points.
However, “The Eagle” also owns superior grappling skills, with eight of his 26 career wins coming by submission, and sports +205 odds of handing McGregor the fourth submission loss of his career.
While most props at UFC betting sites focus on the action in the octagon, several are also available that cover both pre-fight and post-fight action. Legendary announcer Bruce Buffer is pegged as a short -150 bet to wear a bow tie for the main event, while the odds of McGregor and Khabib touching gloves at the start of the fight sit at -200.
As well, UFC president Dana White is a -250 favourite to wear a black jacket in the octagon after the fight, while McGregor is a +200 longshot to wear sunglasses at the UFC 229 post-fight press conference.
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