The long-awaited return to MMA of the sport's most transcendent star, Conor McGregor, is upon us, and the buildup to Saturday's showdown with unbeaten lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov has been personal, vitriolic and violent. The UFC hopes these ingredients will make UFC 229 the biggest pay-per-view event in the company's history.
The betting lines for this fight have been floating for many weeks, in some cases seeing significant movement. We've already explored how Nurmagomedov has produced a more profitable betting return than McGregor through his UFC career, and even a loss on Saturday won't change that. But is there any value in taking a side in the main event? Let's take a look.
Khabib Nurmagomedov (-160) vs. Conor McGregor (+150)
They say styles make fights, and this classic pairing of striker vs. grappler will offer a stark contrast of styles. We've sliced and diced data in many ways to show that these two fighters are excellent in very different ways. Conor is the accurate and powerful striker, while Khabib is the relentless and dominant wrestler.
