Conor McGregor opens as slight betting underdog to Khabib Nurmagomedov for UFC 229 return

Conor McGregor may be the betting underdog for his UFC 229 return against lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, but that may not last for long.

McGregor (+145) opened as a slight betting underdog to Nurmagomedov (-175) on Friday afternoon following the UFC’s announcement of the Oct. 6 mega-fight at UFC 229, according to odds posted by online bookmaker Bovada. Within a matter of hours, though, those odds had already shifted closer to even for both McGregor and Nurmagomedov, who currently sit at +130 and -160 at the time of this writing, respectively.

McGregor, the former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion, has not competed in MMA since earning a second-round knockout over Eddie Alvarez in Nov. 2016 at UFC 205 to become the promotion’s first-ever two-division simultaneous champion. The popular Irishman carries notable wins over Jose Aldo, Chad Mendes, Nate Diaz, Dustin Poirier, and Max Holloway, and is the biggest pay-per-view draw in the history of the sport.

Nurmagomedov captured the UFC lightweight title in April with a unanimous decision victory over Al Iaquinta at UFC 223. The undefeated Dagestani holds a perfect 10-0 record in Octagon action and carries notable wins over Edson Barboza, Rafael dos Anjos, and Michael Johnson, among others.

UFC 229 takes place Oct. 6 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.