Global superstar Conor McGregor (21-4, 18 KOs, 1 SUB) announced a return to the octagon at UFC 246 on Saturday, January 18 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main card airs live on pay-per-view.
It’s been well over a year since Conor McGregor last fought inside the octagon. In case you forgot, it didn’t end well - he was spanked by archrival Khabib Nurmagomedov, tapped out, and was promptly attacked by the Russian’s teammates in an all-out melee.
He hasn’t fought since, but he’s made plenty of headlines for...just about everything. Anything he does is a big deal, whether it’s a tweet or punching an old man who refused a shot of Proper 12. But no one can doubt how competitive the Irishman is, and it really does seem like he genuinely wants to return to action.
In fact, on a recent trip to Russia, he announced that he’d be fighting at UFC 246 in January. While The Notorious One has thrown out misinformation before, this just seems legit. He left out who he’d be facing, telling fans to “ask the UFC who the opponent is, because I do not give f--- who the opponent is.”
Of course, any time The Irishman even hints at fighting, the online sportsbook has to respond. The guy draws way too much action to be ignored. Currently, the most likely opponent is Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, but Justin Gaethje has been baiting McGregor every chance he gets.
UFC president Dana White responded that “we have nothing done, nothing is even close to being done. So, I hate to even talk about this stuff and say it because it might not happen...it might happen. But, we’re looking at “Cowboy.”
Cowboy’s take on all this: “Sign the damn deal”.
The UFC odds at BookMaker.eu opened with McGregor as a clear favorite over Cowboy, but he’d be an underdog against Gaethje. Let’s check the online sportsbook and break down how you should be betting right now.
UFC Odds at BookMaker.eu
Conor McGregor -170 vs. Donald Cerrone +140
Conor McGregor +125 vs. Justin Gaethje -155
Bet McGregor vs. Cerrone at the online sportsbook
Online oddsmakers nailed the money line here, but we expect the public to hammer McGregor to the point where he’s well past -200 come fight night. First, there are a ton of fans that blindly bet the Irishman in every fight, and his supreme confidence is contagious - anybody who was on the fence can easily be convinced after listening to him describe how easily he’ll win any fight.
Most fans’ initial reaction will be that this is a bad style matchup for Cowboy. While Cerrone is literally one of the most experienced guys on the roster, he’s squarely past his prime and susceptible to one-hitter quitters like McGregor. It’s been a while since we’ve actually seen the former champion win inside the octagon, but on paper this is absolutely a winnable matchup.
At the current price, McGregor is an easy recommendation. Once he gets under -200 is when things start getting iffy.
Bet McGregor vs. Gaethje at the online sportsbook
It’s funny that just a few fights ago, Gaethje would arguably have been the underdog. But his recent three fight win streak has forced everyone to reevaluate The Highlight. If he was still a brawl-or-nothing fighter, than it’d be easy to see a scrap where McGregor carves him up with superior timing and accuracy.
While Gaethje finished Barboza and Cowboy in the first round of their respective encounters, it was clear that the former WSOF champion is fighting smarter and harnessing his energy for controlled bursts of destructive violence. Even against a pro kickboxer like Cowboy, it only seemed like a matter of time before Gaethje’s fists caught him on the chin.
What’s more, McGregor has never fared well in a trench war, battling “patches of fatigue”. It seems like Gaethje was born in the trenches, and although he’s vulnerable to big punches he can also stay in zombie mode for a very long time.
At -155, the price on Gaethje is affordable and profitable. While we doubt the matchup actually gets made - it’s far too risky for McGregor - we recommend a bet on the highlight before his odds go down.
Bet on UFC odds at BookMaker.eu now!
