Khabib-McGregor Odds: Conor McGregor UFC 229 Betting Line, Fighter Analysis

As the clock counts down to his highly anticipated clash on October 6 at UFC 229, Conor McGregor continues to lag as a betting underdog in his bid to take the UFC lightweight title from champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.

The controversial Irishman will make his long-awaited return to the UFC ranks pegged as a +125 bet (wager $100 to win $125) on the Khabib vs. McGregor odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.

McGregor made his last Octagon appearance over 22 months ago, recording a TKO victory on punches over Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205 and paying out on -161 odds. With the victory, McGregor added the UFC lightweight crown to his existing UFC featherweight title to become the first fighter in UFC history to hold simultaneous titles in two divisions.

McGregor now takes a 21-3 professional mixed martial arts record into the upcoming McGregor vs. Khabib matchup at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The Dublin native wasted no time climbing to the top of the ranks of the UFC after joining the promotion in 2013. McGregor picked up wins in each of his first seven UFC fights, including a historic knockout victory just 13 seconds into his tilt with Jose Aldo at UFC 194. The victory as a -108 bet handed McGregor the unified UFC featherweight title and a fifth straight Performance of the Night bonus.

Not satisfied with dominating only the featherweight division, McGregor followed up with a pair of epic welterweight dates with Nate Diaz. The Notorious fell to a second-round submission loss in his first meeting with Diaz at UFC 196 while listed as a -400 bet but responded with a majority decision win on -135 odds in their rematch at UFC 202.

While McGregor owns wide-ranging experience in multiple weight divisions, Khabib continues to lead the way on the UFC 229 odds as a -155 favorite (wager $155 to win $100) in his first-ever title defense.

The undefeated Russian owns a 26-0 pro-MMA record and has seen six of his past nine contests settled by the judges. That includes his last outing, a unanimous-decision win over last-minute replacement Al Iaquinta as a heavy -700 favorite at UFC 223, which earned him the UFC lightweight title.

Each of these fighters has seen a bout go a full five rounds on just one occasion. That could work to the advantage of McGregor, who possesses superior striking ability and has ended seven of his 10 UFC fights with a KO or TKO on punches.

In addition, the lessons learned from his battles with Diaz should prepare McGregor for Khabib's superiority as a wrestler and help him avoid becoming the ninth fighter to suffer a submission loss to The Eagle.

For more odds information, betting picks and a breakdown of this week's top sports betting news check out the OddsShark podcast with Jon Campbell and Andrew Avery. Subscribe on iTunes or listen to it at OddsShark.libsyn.com.