THE BATTLE OF THE BEARDS: UFC 229 - McGREGOR Vs. NURMAGOMEDOV.
Hello and welcome back to the TBS beard blog. As you probably now 'The Notorious' Conor McGregor is set to make his UFC comeback this weekend in the UFC lightweight division when he faces Russias Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229.
This will be Conor's first fight inside a UFC Octagon since he last fought for the title against former champ, Eddie Alverez, where Conor snapped up the lightweight belt inside of the spectacular fashion, fishing Eddie in the second round via a stunning TKO win to become the first two time champion in the Ultimate Fighting Championship history.
Unfortunately McGregor was later stripped of both of his titles following a two-year break away from the company, and of course his boxing matchup with Floyd 'Money' Mayweather which broke record sales.
But make no mistake about it, Khabib is no joke, as his current fight record sits at a staggering 26 wins and no losses, although he has been known to struggle to make weight, which has resulted in him pulling out of big PPV bouts at the last moment.
McGregor currently stands at 21 wins from 24 fights in all, with a whopping 18 of those wins delivered by Knock out, with only 3 defeats to his record.
Looking at the figures Mayweather Vs. McGregor netted a record-breaking £450m+ in global revenues alone, that includes sponsorships, ticket sales, and international distribution.
The fight certainly makes for an interesting matchup for both fighters, and possibly the toughest comeback fight McGregor could have hoped for.
Nurmagomedov currently holds the UFC lightweight title that McGregor never lost officially but was stripped of by the company following his time out of the Octagon.
This fight will once more bring fight fans together as the world and his uncle will be watching as Conor marches back to the PPV limelight this Saturday.
But how do the odds stack for both fighters? With 26 straight wins, you would believe Nurmagomedov would be topped favourite by the bookies, but his opponent is like no other, McGregor has earned his stripes and continues to silence his critics 99% of the time. The fighting Irish comes with an army of fans in his corner, unlike any other.
Although McGregor hasn't always been victorious inside the Octagon, he certainly remains humble in defeat or loss, and when he lands his infamous left hand it breaks the very best fighters with little to no remorse when it connects. Watch anyone who has fallen to the left hook against McGregor only to confirm this.
Are you watching the fights this weekend? If so what are your predictions? We would love to know, so please get in touch with us in the comments section provided below, or if you would prefer you can find u on social media as well.
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Would you like me to share my fight predictions? I see this going one of a possible two ways, I see McGregor coming out fast, working out his distance and landing some heavy shots, left hooks and hard kicks of which I predict will see McGregor take the win via TKO / KO in the first round.
My second thought is that this will be a real bear fight between the two fighters, one of which could easily go into the later rounds after a brawling 5 round battle, but I do still believe 'The Notorious' Conor McGregor has what it takes to secure the win this Saturday, to regain his UFC lightweight title at UFC 229.
And until next time, beard on Brothers...