UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, left, of Russia, greets UFC President Dana White during a news conference for UFC 229 at the Park MGM in Thursday, Oct. 4, 2018. Conor McGregor of Ireland will challenge Nurmagomedov for the title during UFC 229 at T-Mobile Arena Saturday.
Saturday, Oct. 6, 2018 | 2 a.m.
The true lightweight champion is included somewhere on the UFC 229 card.
His identity just depends upon whom is asked. Khabib Nurmagomedov is the official champion, and puts his belt on the line against Conor McGregor in what’s expected to be the best-selling fight in UFC history.
Nurmagomedov vs. McGregor should commence sometime around 9:15 p.m. tonight at T-Mobile Arena following a pay-per-view card that begins at 7 p.m. with preliminarily bouts streaming on UFC Fight Pass before switching to Fox Sports 1 starting at 3:30.
McGregor will fight in the octagon for the first time in two years in an attempt to win back a championship he never really lost. McGregor is the lineal lightweight champion, but the UFC stripped him of the title due to inactivity during contract negotiations.
The landscape is further muddied by Tony Ferguson winning an interim championship in McGregor’s stead. The UFC also took away Ferguson’s title after repeated attempts to have him fight Nurmagomedov fell through.
Ferguson has still carried around his belt during fight-week activities, however, and argued that he’s the real champion. Ferguson’s opponent in the UFC 229 co-main event, Anthony Pettis, has no claim to the current lightweight title but he did hold it from 2013 into 2015 and feels like he’s poised to get it back.
It’s a messy situation that promises to receive some clarity after UFC 229. How does the Sun’s picks panel see it playing out?
Read below for breakdowns, odds and picks on every fight from Las Vegas Sun’s Ray Brewer (53-26 year to date), ESPN Radio’s Steve Cofield (52-27), KSNV’s Randy Howe (52-27) and Las Vegas Sun’s Case Keefer (45-34).
Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.
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