UFC 229: Conor McGregor vs Khabib Nurmagomedov Betting Odds

Conor McGregor vs Khabib Nurmagomedov is a clash of styles the sport of MMA was created for. Maybe the best striker in the match vs the best grappler in the game is a fantasy fight for UFC fans and Nurmagomedov, the current UFC lightweight winner, is favored to succeed -170 with McGregor coming back at +140. The mega-fight will occur tonight in Las Vegas in UFC 229.
From a promotional standpoint, making the fight is a fantasy come true for the UFC as it will definitely be among the most lucrative events in their own history, and from a betting standpoint, there is plenty of money to be made also. McGregor fans will probably be foaming at the mouth to place a bet on the Irishman, especially at plus-money, but is that a smart wager versus the 26-0 Nurmagomedov, whose smothering grappling design has been completely unsolvable?
McGregor’s grappling skills are most likely in the average range and that’s an area where he has been cared for before. A considerably smaller Chad Mendes readily took McGregor to the mat whenever he wished to at UFC 189 (yes, I know McGregor won the struggle ), and he had been choked out by Nate Diaz in UFC 196.
He does have a significant drawback when it comes to wrestling, however, there are different areas where McGregor could have a certain upper hand, most notably with his palms. Eighteen of his 21 professional wins have come through T/KO and he has a very impressive hit list which includes endings of Jose Aldo, Eddie Alvarez, Dustin Poirier and, of course, Paulie Malignaggi (insert smiley face emoji here).
Line Movement (or lack thereof)
If the amount of gambling action McGregor received vs Floyd Mayweather is some indication, some bettors certainly do not care how he matches stylistically — following launching at +950 vs Mayweather, McGregor closed at +265 because of an avalanche of bets placed on him.
Many, such as myself, presumed we would have seen far more motion on the line due to lots of people money coming in around McGregor, but that hasn’t been the case however. On the afternoon Khabib vs McGregor has been announced, Nurmagomedov opened -200 with McGregor in +160. Together with the champ now at -170 and Conor in +140 on the afternoon of the fight, there’s still pretty good value on McGregor as a dog and people that are confident in Khabib should feel good about getting him in a much better number than his opening chances.

Read more: statesmannews.com