Conor McGregor vs Khabib Nurmagomedov is a clash of styles the sport of MMA was created for. Perhaps the best striker at the game vs the best grappler in this game is a fantasy fight for UFC fans and Nurmagomedov, the existing UFC lightweight champion, is favored to win -170 with McGregor coming back at +140. The mega-fight will take place tonight in Las Vegas in UFC 229.
From a promotional standpoint, making that the fight is a fantasy come true for the UFC since it will undoubtedly be one of the most lucrative events in their history, and from a gaming perspective, there is lots of money to be made too. McGregor fans will be foaming at the mouth to put a wager on the Irishman, particularly at plus-money, but is that a wise bet vs the 26-0 Nurmagomedov, whose smothering grappling design has been completely unsolvable?
McGregor’s grappling skills are probably in the typical selection and that is a place where he has been cared for before. A considerably smaller Chad Mendes easily took McGregor into the mat whenever he wished to UFC 189 (yes, I understand McGregor won the fight), and he had been choked out by Nate Diaz at UFC 196.
He does have a significant disadvantage when it comes to wrestling, however, there are different areas where McGregor would have a certain upper hand, most especially with his palms. Eighteen of his 21 professional wins have come via 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)
In the event the amount of gambling action McGregor received vs Floyd Mayweather is any indicator, some bettors clearly do not care how he matches up stylistically — following launching at +950 vs Mayweather, McGregor closed at +265 due to an avalanche of stakes placed on him.
Many, such as myself, presumed we would have seen much more motion on the line as a result of plenty of public money coming in on McGregor, but this hasn’t been the case yet. On the day Khabib vs McGregor has been declared, Nurmagomedov opened at -200 with McGregor at +160. With the champ currently at -170 and Conor in +140 on the day of the struggle, there is still pretty excellent value on McGregor as a dog and those that are confident in Khabib should feel good about getting him at a far greater number than his starting chances.
Read more: bostonsportsradio.net