With the lightweight championship showdown between title-holder Khabib Nurmagomedov and former two-division champ Conor McGregor fast approaching on October 6, the two have their first official press conference scheduled for next Thursday, September 20 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.
The last time these two were in New York at the same time all hell broke loose as Conor and his entourage stormed the Barclays Center in Brooklyn ahead of Khabib’s title fight and smashed the bus window that was transporting the Russian and several other UFC fighters.
But now Conor must answer for his actions inside the octagon and it’s time for the Irishman to face the music against the 26-0 unbeaten Nurmagomedov and his powerful grappling game.
There is a curious inconsistency in odds for this UFC 229 mega-fight between McGregor and lightweight champ Nurmagomedov. Khabib is favored, currently sitting at -161 versus +141 for McGregor, but the odds also favor the fight ending in less than 2.5 rounds.
These UFC odds are obtained from sites listed here, that are expertly reviewed and contain a wealth of sports betting information for any pundit who is looking to place a wager for October 6. The odds for the under are at -135, while the odds for the over are at +105, even though Khabib has gone the distance in each of his last two fights and five of his last seven.
If Khabib is likely to control the fight, which the odds say he will, then the fight is also likely to stretch into the championship rounds. The champ isn’t apt to press for a finish against a striker as dangerous as McGregor, even if he has been out of the octagon for nearly two years.
On paper it should be McGregor’s toughest challenge to date. And while those words have been said before against other opponents that McGregor has easily handled, this time it really could be different. Or will it?