UFC 229 Predictions
One of the most anticipated fights in UFC history takes place tonight in the main event of UFC 229. Who will come away with the win in the hyped lightweight championship bout?
UFC 229 will be held from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main card for the event will begin at 10PM ET and air live on PPV.
24401 Conor McGregor vs. 24402 Khabib Nurmagomedov
Tonight’s main event features unbeaten UFC lightweight champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov (26-0) against former two-weight champion Conor McGregor (21-3). According to the latest oddsmakers at BetNow.eu, Nurmagomedov is the favorite, as he is listed with -175 odds to win. McGregor is listed with a money line of +150 to prevail. McGregor was the champ at 155 pounds, winning the belt in his last UFC fight back in November of 2016. He then left to pursue a boxing match with Floyd Mayweather and is now returning to face a man he has some bad blood with. Khabib is the unbeaten champ that last fought in April. He is a relentless grappler that gets takedowns and beats his opponents down on the ground. McGregor is clearly the better striker, but Khabib is clearly the better grappler. Should Conor have improved his wrestling and be able to stay of his back, he can win. However, he has been off for two years and facing a wrestler that has the skills and conditioning unlike anyone he has ever faced. McGregor isn’t known for his conditioning, and even just spending the first round on his back could drain him. While the fight starts on the feet, I don’t think McGregor will be able to keep it there. UFC 229 Prediction: Khabib Nurmagomedov -175
24405 Anthony Pettis vs. 24406 Tony Ferguson
The co-main event is also in the lightweight division with Tony Ferguson (23-3) facing Anthony Pettis (21-7). Ferguson has been an interim champ at 155 but was mysteriously stripped of the belt. Pettis is a former champ at 155 in his own right. According to oddsmakers, Ferguson is the clear favorite, as he is listed with -370 odds to win. Pettis is listed with a money line of +305 to prevail. It’s been over a year since we last saw Ferguson, but he’s on a 10-fight win streak. He has great ground skills, especially with submissions. He has six submission victories during this win streak. Pettis has won just three of his last eight, but is coming off a win over Michael Chiesa. Pettis has tremendous striking, especially with his kicks. His issue has been being able to avoid takedowns. That’s not a great weakness for this fight. If Pettis can stay standing, he can win this fight. However, he is too tentative with his striking at times and hasn’t proven he can stay off his back. UFC 229 Prediction: Tony Ferguson -370
24413 Derrick Lewis vs. 24414 Alexander Volkov
This fight is a heavyweight clash between veterans Volkov (30-6) and Lewis (20-5). Oddsmakers are listing Volkov as the favorite, giving him odds of -150 to win. Lewis is listed with a money line of +130 to prevail. Volkov is 4-0 in the UFC and coming off a KO win over former champ Fabricio Werdum. He is long and lengthy and uses that length to out-strike his opponents. Lewis is a powerful and compact fighter. He hits hard and looks for the KO at all times. He is coming off a lackluster win over Francis Ngannou in July that wasn’t well received, so I expect him to really be motivated for a strong showing tonight. He had a back injury in that fight and oddsmakers may feel it is an issue tonight, but I will take my chances on him as an underdog. I feel he has the better punching power and will connect on Volkov at some point in the first round. UFC 229 Prediction: Derrick Lewis +130