‘The Notorious’ Conor McGregor last stepped into a UFC ring in November of 2016 when he knocked out Eddie Alverez to claim the UFC Lightweight Championship ad become the first fighter in UFC history to hold two division belts at the same time. After a hiatus from the octagon, UFC president Dana White announced this week that McGregor will face off against Khabib Nurmagomedov for the Lightweight title in UFC 229 on the 6th of October.
The announcement sent the MMA world into meltdown and Australian betting agencies have already jumped on the hype train for McGregor’s highly anticipated return, with most sites already promoting the fight’s markets to the featured events section of their page.
McGregor’s foray into professional boxing lasted just one fight, which saw him take on Floyd Mayweather back in August of last year. That fight, however, was one of the most bet on events in history for Australian bookmakers, and the long-awaited face off between McGregor and Nurmagomedov should bring in similar numbers.
Just a few months ago, McGregor and Nurmagomedov were involved in an altercation during a promotional event for UFC 223. McGregor and a group of friends ran up alongside a moving bus which contained Nurmagomedov and threw metal trolleys at the bus’s window after one of McGregor’s close friends, Artem Lobov was cornered and in a minor altercation with Nurmagomedov. The confrontation adds extra spice to the upcoming fight, which is likely to be the biggest build up for a UFC event since McGregor took on Jose Aldo in December of 2015.
A range of betting markets are already available for the event at all of the major bookmakers around Australia, with current champion Nurmagomedoc starting at around $1.55 favourite. There’s plenty of value on offer if you like the Irishman to climb back to the top of the UFC world, but best get on soon because you better believe that his lofty price of $2.45 will surely come in.
