UFC 229: Khabib vs. McGregor Odds, Tickets, Predictions and Pre-Weigh-In Hype

The long-awaited return of Conor McGregor (21-3, 18 KOs) is set to go down in T-Mobile Arena on October 6, with undefeated Khabib Nurmagomedov (26-0, 8 KOs) playing the role of welcoming committee at UFC 229. 

It's a matchup that has a little bit of everything for everyone. 

Like stakes? The lightweight belt is on the line with McGregor returning to earn a belt back that he never really lost. 

Like bad blood? There's plenty between these two, and McGregor put the exclamation on it all with a dolly to a bus window. 

Like elite matchups? It's a classic stylistic feud between one of the best strikers in the sport and one of the best grapplers. 

It doesn't get much better than this for fight fans, and to make matters even better, there's a whole card of intriguing contests to build to the capstone of the evening.

Here's a look at the complete card along with odds for the bouts from OddsShark, ticket information and some of the hype entering fight night. 

Tickets: StubHub

PPV Main Card (10 p.m. ET):

• 155 lbs.: UFC Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov (-163) vs. Conor McGregor (+130)
• 155 lbs.: Tony Ferguson (-350) vs. Anthony Pettis (+260)
• 205 lbs.: Ovince Saint Preux (+175) vs. Dominick Reyes (-225)
• 265 lbs.: Derrick Lewis (+140) vs. Alexander Volkov (-175)
• 115 lbs.: Michelle Waterson (+110) vs. Felice Herrig (-138)

FOX Sports 1 Prelims (8 p.m. ET):

• 125 lbs.: Jussier Formiga (+130) vs. Sergio Pettis (-163)
• 170 lbs.: Vincente Luque (-649) vs. Jalin Turner (+450)
• 135 lbs.: Aspen Ladd (-150) vs. Tonya Evinger (+120)
• 155 lbs.: Scott Holtzman (+200) vs. Alan Patrick (-250)

Fight Pass Prelims (6:30 p.m. ET):

• 135 lbs.: Yana Kunitskaya (-188) vs. Lina Lansberg (+150)
• 155 lbs.: Gray Maynard (+175) vs. Nik Lentz (-225)
• 170 lbs.: Ryan LaFlare (-150) vs. Tony Martin (+120)

Mystic Mac Predicts Another Knockout

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Conor McGregor has a knack for calling his shot. The Irishman has made a name for himself not only by scoring several knockout victories but telling anyone who'll listen how and when he's going to do it. 

While he hasn't committed to a time frame of when he's going to finish Nurmagomedov, he's given a Clubber Lang-esque prediction for what the Russian will experience in the cage. 

"I believe KO," McGregor offering his forecast for the fight to Ariel Helwani of ESPN. "Devastating, devastating KO. I hope it's not too early, to be honest. I believe I will clatter him; he will crumble. I don't believe they can take a smack."

Nurmagomedov has been reserved throughout the buildup to the fight thus far, but he hasn't hesitated to voice his displeasure with McGregor's act. 

"At press conference, he look like drunk guy. It's crazy," Nurmagomedov said, per Brett Okamoto of ESPN.com. "It's very interesting. How you want to fight when you use lot of drugs and whiskey? How you want to fight 25 minutes? This is not boxing, brother. I'm going to be close all the time. This is not a distance fight with Nate Diaz. This is completely different."

Outside of the general animosity for McGregor, the champion brings up a good point: This fight will come down to distance. 

Simply put, Nurmagomedov is nearly unstoppable once he's closed the distance with an opponent. Whether he has top control on the ground or dominant position in the clinch, he's controlling the pace and winning a war of attrition. 

However, McGregor has proved difficult to bring down without paying serious consequences. Only Chad Mendes and Nate Diaz have brought him to the ground and Diaz was only able to do once McGregor was already gassed. 

Predictions for this fight are all predicated on whether McGregor can keep the fight upright. It might be the tallest task that McGregor has been faced with in the Octagon. 

Prediction: Nurmagomedov via fourth-round TKO

Tony Ferguson out to Show He's the Champion

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As far as Tony Ferguson is concerned, Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov aren't fighting for a title. He's already the champion. 

El Cucuy, who won the interim lightweight title a year ago, was stripped of his belt due to injury. Now he feels like the two fighters in the main event have robbed him of his rightful place in the division.

"It has been five months since my [knee] injury, it took a long … time for me to be here. They took my belt. They took a bunch of zeros from my paycheck. How do you think I … feel?" he asked, per Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times. "People want to call me weird and want to … cringe and want to use my stuff without giving me any credit. I am the … champ. See this gold right here, I didn't lose my belt. They took it from me."

If Ferguson wants to earn the shot at the title he thinks he deserves, it's going to involve beating Anthony Pettis in the co-main event. 

Showtime comes into the bout as a sizable underdog for good reason. The former champion is 3-5 in his last eight fights, but he flashed his submission skills in a second-round victory over Michael Chiesa in his last appearance. 

At this point, Ferguson is the better fighter. It doesn't mean that Pettis can't turn back the clock and remind everyone what he looked like when he was an elite striker, but Ferguson should hold the advantage wherever the fight goes. 

Prediction: Ferguson via second-round TKO

      

Dominick Reyes Ready to Steal Spotlight

Dominick Reyes has been on a tear since joining the UFC in June 2017. 

The California-native was signed on the heels of a viral head-kick knockout in LFA, but he's proved that he's more than an internet sensation since then. The Devastator has lived up to his nickname with three first-round finishes against Joachim Christensen, Jeremy Kimball and Jared Cannonier. 

Now he'll look to take on his biggest challenge in No. 7 ranked Ovince Saint Preux. 

OSP is the perfect opponent to find out where Reyes stacks up in the light heavyweight division. The former Tennessee Volunteer has been a staple in the middle of the division for years. He's put together a 4-1 record in his last five fights but was 1-4 in his five fights previous to that. 

Saint Preux's well-rounded skill set is a good foil to Reyes, and the 9-0 prospect knows the impact it could have on his career. 

"Just like with any fight, a big finish or impressive performance is going to really boost you," Reyes said, per Nolan King of FloCombat. "But this, on this stage, it can change my life. It should change my life. After this, I would expect to be a household name."

If Reyes is a future title contender, a win over Saint Preux will be a great platform for him to showcase his skills. If he's not ready for that level of competition yet Saint Preux will quickly expose him. 

Prediction: Reyes via first-round TKO