Conor McGregor vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov is the UFC 229 Main Event and MMA fans are buzzing with McGregor making his first appearance in the octagon in nearly two years. McGregor is one of the sport's all-time greatest showmen and he's responsible for four of the six biggest UFC pay-per-view sales in history, with Saturday figuring to be another enormous draw. Not only is it a comeback fight, it's also a brilliant stylistic clash with McGregor's standup game in direct contrast to Khabib's wrestling skills.
The latest McGregor vs. Khabib odds have McGregor as a +155 underdog (risk $100 to win $155), while Nurmagomedov is -185 (risk $185 to win $100). Before you make any McGregor vs. Khabib picks and predictions or make a play on any of the other UFC 229 odds, you need to hear what CBS Sports combat expert Brian Campbell has to say.
Campbell is CBS Sports' top MMA expert and the host of the "In This Corner" podcast. He has helped guide bettors to major cashes with picks such as Daniel Cormier (+140) over Stipe Miocic for the heavyweight title and Derrick Lewis (+255) over Francis Ngannou at heavyweight in a parlay at UFC 226. Anybody who has been following him is way, way up.
Now, he has scoured the UFC 229 odds and locked in his top picks for Saturday's big fight. For the UFC 229 undercard, we can tell you Campbell says Tony Ferguson's 10-fight winning streak ends at the hands of Anthony Pettis (+260).
Ferguson has been considered the likely recipient of the next title shot at lightweight. However, rather than wait until after the dust settles on McGregor vs. Nurmagomedov to take on the winner, he rushed back from a knee injury he suffered just five months ago to battle Pettis, a former lightweight champion.
It's been over five years since Pettis won his title and nearly four years since he defended it, with losses in four of five fights following his last successful title defense against Gilbert Melendez at UFC 181. However, Pettis has now won two of his last three bouts, including performance of the night honors at UFC 226 for submitting Michael Chiesa early in the second round.
Campbell has also evaluated the entire UFC 229 fight card from every possible angle and released insider McGregor vs. Khabib picks on that huge fight.
Entering the fight at 21-3, but without having entered the octagon since November 2016, McGregor is undoubtedly a wild card Saturday night. Known for his enormous power after ending 18 of his career victories with striking knockouts or TKOs, McGregor is an even more refined striker now after his boxing match against Floyd Mayweather last year. He'll be looking to stop the fight early having only gone the distance twice in his MMA career and only once in a five-round match.
Meanwhile, the undefeated Nurmagomedov (26-0) will be looking to get into the clinch to take advantage of his judo background before taking the fight to the ground to utilize his superior wrestling skills.
A versatile fighter, Nurmagomedov has won 10 of his fights via decision, eight by submission and eight by KO or TKO, though primarily via the ground-and-pound. So expect the fight to be decided by who can actually dictate the style of the match.
Campbell has evaluated all these factors and made a strong pick on the money line for Khabib vs. McGregor. He has also revealed a prop bet you should be all over that could lead to a payout of over 30-1.
Which side of McGregor vs. Khabib should you back on the money line? And which prop bet could lead to a massive payout on Saturday? Visit SportsLine now to get insider McGregor vs. Khabib picks and analysis for UFC 229, all from an elite MMA insider who has made huge UFC calls.
