Since their rematch was rescheduled, Conor McGregor has shifted from being the slight underdog at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com to being the favorite against Nate Diaz, who handed him his first UFC loss in March.
Ahead of their welterweight bout at UFC 202, which takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, McGregor is listed at -130 to get the win while Diaz rates an even-money shot. Initially, Diaz was the -125 favorite.
McGregor has focused his training on building up his cardiovascular capacity, since a fight against Diaz always has a high likelihood of going the distance. McGregor clearly stands to lose more face with a loss, but bettors should also recall that Diaz was able to win their first showdown after taking the bout on only 10 days’ notice.
Diaz, with his Jiu-Jitsu background, has the capability of forcing the match to ground and grappling, which will force McGregor to divert energy he would prefer to use attacking.
In the co-main event, Anthony (Rumble) Johnson is listed at -200 on the UFC 202 betting lines to defeat Glover Teixeira, who is listed at +160, in a matchup of light heavyweight strikers. It’s a tough matchup for Teixeira, who tends to be willing to trade punches, which is highly unlikely to work against someone with Johnson’s power.
Teixeira’s chances likely rest on making sure he can use his grappling ability. The winner will take a big jump in the light heavyweight rankings.
In a featured welterweight matchup, Donald Cerrone is listed at -250 against +195 underdog Rick Story. In his last fight, Cerrone, with his reach and Muay Thai background, did what some considered impossible when he became the first fighter to defeat Patrick Côté by TKO. Story is also very durable and has a chance to win ugly.
Also on the main card, welterweight contender Hyun Gyu Lim is listed at -285 against +225 underdog Mike Perry, who is making his debut in UFC. Both are knockout specialists, so Perry has the quintessential puncher’s chance at an upset.
Lim is a physical force, but has shown that he will lower his guard to attack, which makes this matchup a more dangerous one than it might initially appear to be.
The biggest favorite on the card is Tim Means, who is -450 to defeat +325 underdog Sabah Homasi. Means is motivated after a six-month fight to win reinstatement after a positive drug test, and Homasi is stepping in with only two weeks’ preparation.
