Who will Conor McGregor call out first in his post-fight octagon interview if he beats Cowboy:@GamebredFighter -150
Khabib +110
Mayweather +1400
Usman +1400
Pacquiao +2000
Nate Diaz +2000#UFC246 props> https://t.co/xhJgZPknNa— Dave Mason (@DaveMasonBOL) January 17, 2020
The ordering process for Ultimate Fighting Championship pay-per-views has changed: UFC 246 is only available on ESPN+ in the U.S.
For the headliner of UFC 246 on Saturday, a plethora of betting lines have opened, ranging from fight results to fight attire.
On Friday, the sportsbook BetOnline posted a series of fight lines on the UFC 246 headliner between Conor McGregor (21-4) and Donald Cerrone (36-13, 1 NC). Currently, “Notorious” is a significant -325 favorite, while “Cowboy” has the comeback at +275. Essentially, one would need to bet $325 on McGregor in order to win $100, while someone putting $100 on Cerrone would make them an additional $275 — if that respective fighter won. When the line initially opened in November, McGregor was a -225 favorite, and has since climbed steadily to date. Additionally, the sportsbooks have not only expected McGregor to win, but the three post-fight lines are all regarding McGregor’s potential victory — who will he call out first (Khabib Nurmagomedov the highest favored), will he next compete for a lightweight belt, and gauging the amount of profanity in his post-fight interview.
A few pre-fight lines are also open, regarding the attire of the two gentlemen in the main event. Currently, McGregor will wear an official UFC or Reebok fight shirt is sitting at -1000. Both men have lines on flags, with McGregor carrying the Irish flag at -5000, while Cerrone sporting the American flag is +200. The over/under on the length of the introduction from Bruce Buffer sits at 2:40 in total.
A number of fight result odds are also readily available, with McGregor winning by stoppage currently residing at -210. On the other hand, “Cowboy” getting the finish is +425, while the two going the distance is a far less likely affair (+350). Of all the specific prop bets for McGregor to win, the Irishman scoring a knockout is by far the most expected option (-200). The odds are also on Cerrone to be the first fighter to visibly bleed, with the American at -260 compared to his opponent at +200. Finally, there is a line on whether a fighter will lose consciousness, with the affirmative an unlikely +500 and the comeback at -1000.
McGregor last competed in 2018, where he suffered a submission loss at the hands of Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 that October. He has yet to win a fight since he knocked out Eddie Alvarez in 2016 to become the first two-division champ in UFC history. McGregor has closed as the betting favorite in all but two occasions throughout his UFC career: against Nurmagomedov, and in a pick-’em with Jose Aldo, although Aldo held slightly more favorable odds. Despite tapping out to Nate Diaz in March 2016, McGregor still closed as the betting favorite in the rematch. A notorious knockout artist, his knockout rate sits at 86 percent, only going the distance twice in his 25-fight career.
“Cowboy” has dropped his last two by knockout to Justin Gaethje and Tony Ferguson in 2019. In each of his previous six bouts, Cerrone has closed as an underdog, winning three. The last time “Cowboy” closed as a betting favorite was against Yancy Medeiros in 2018, and Cerrone knocked him out in the opening round. The Ultimate Fighting Championship and World Extreme Cagefighting mainstay holds a myriad of records in the UFC, including most wins, finishes, post-fight bonuses and a number of other accolades.
UFC 246 will take place on Jan. 18 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The co-headliner sees former bantamweight champ Holly Holm take on Raquel Pennington, while at heavyweight, Alexey Oleynik collides with Maurice Greene.