Author: Mike Chiari

Mayweather vs. McGregor Odds: Latest Vegas Lines, Predictions for Megafight

Saturday’s clash between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor is among the most hyped fights in the history of boxing, but the matchup is one-sided on paper.
Mayweather is a perfect 49-0 and considered one of the greatest boxers of all time, while M…

Saturday’s clash between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor is among the most hyped fights in the history of boxing, but the matchup is one-sided on paper.

Mayweather is a perfect 49-0 and considered one of the greatest boxers of all time, while McGregor has never had a professional fight as a boxer.

There has been plenty of betting action on the UFC Lightweight champion despite that fact, but he remains a significant underdog in what will be the biggest challenge of his combat sports career.

With the moment of truth nearly here for both Mayweather and McGregor, let’s take a look at the latest betting lines, along with predictions for how the bout will play out.

          

Mayweather vs. McGregor Odds (courtesy of OddsShark.com)

Mayweather betting line: 1-5

McGregor betting line: 77-20

Mayweather money line: -500

McGregor money line: +385

           

Mayweather vs. McGregor Predictions

If Mayweather decides to employ his usual game plan, there is seemingly little that can stop him from going the distance and winning decisively on the scorecards.

The 40-year-old veteran has won each of his past seven fights by decision with five of them being unanimous.

Based on pre-fight comments from both combatants, however, there appears to be a desire to create some fireworks.

McGregor hasn’t been shy about his intentions, as he made it clear during the July press tour that he wants to embarrass Mayweather.

According to Gene Wang of the Sydney Morning Herald, the Irishman has his heart set on knocking out “Money” in the early stages of the contest: “There’s no other way about it. His little legs, his little core, his little head. I’m going to knock him out inside four rounds, mark my words. What can I say? I’m a young, confident, happy man that’s worked extremely hard for this.”

Aside from boxing experience, McGregor has plenty of advantages from a physical perspective.

In a recent interview with ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, Mayweather acknowledged that fact:

“He’s a lot younger. When you look at myself and Conor McGregor on paper, he’s taller, has a longer reach, he’s a bigger man from top to bottom. He’s a lot younger, so youth is on his side. And I’ve been off a couple of years. And I’m in my 40s. So, if you look at everything on paper, it leans toward Conor McGregor.”

Mayweather also admitted to Smith that he has lost a step compared to what he once was in addition to no longer being a big knockout threat as he was earlier in his career.

Despite that, Mayweather expressed a desire to go on the offensive against McGregor in order to give the fans an entertaining fight: “This can’t be a defensive fight. I have to go to him. I owe the public because of the [Manny] Pacquiao fight. They weren’t pleased with that. They’re gonna be pleased with this fight here.”

Since McGregor is entering his domain, the pressure rests squarely on Mayweather’s shoulders to win and do so convincingly.

McGregor’s only chance to win the fight is likely to be aggressive in an effort to end it early. A brawl favors him more than a boxing bout would, but that strategy could also leave him susceptible.

Mayweather is an elite counterpuncher who knows how to pick his spots, and that will allow him to end his knockout drought in a winning effort over McGregor to improve to 50-0.

Prediction: Mayweather wins via fifth-round KO

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Floyd Mayweather Discusses Conor McGregor Fight, Justin Bieber and More

Ahead of his clash with Conor McGregor on Saturday, Floyd Mayweather Jr. dished on the upcoming fight and other topics in an interview with Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting on Wednesday.
As seen in the following video, Mayweather sat down with Helwani at …

Ahead of his clash with Conor McGregor on Saturday, Floyd Mayweather Jr. dished on the upcoming fight and other topics in an interview with Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting on Wednesday.

As seen in the following video, Mayweather sat down with Helwani at his Girl Collection gentleman’s club in Las Vegas (Warning: some language NSFW):

When Helwani asked Mayweather whether he wanted to embarrass McGregor, “Money” gave a diplomatic response: “I want to compete against him. I want to test my skills against him. He wants to test his skills against me.”

Helwani also asked Mayweather about his game plan for the bout, to which the fighter replied that entertaining fans is a delicate balance: “If you knock him out fast, they’re upset. If you go the distance, they’re upset. If you go past four rounds, it was too many rounds. If you go one round, it was too short. So, it’s a catch-22. You can’t win with the fans.”

The 40-year-old veteran called McGregor “just another fighter that’s in my way,” although he did express excitement over the fight breaking the live-gate record of $72 million originally set in 2015 when he took on Manny Pacquiao.

Mayweather has a long-running friendship with Justin Bieber and has even been escorted to the ring by Bieber in the past. According to TMZ Sports, however, Bieber unfollowed Mayweather on Instagram and has been “distancing himself” from the fighter after getting counsel from his church.

When Helwani asked about the Bieber situation, Mayweather replied, “I don’t know what’s going on with Justin Bieber. … He’s been dealing with church and with pastors. That’s what he’s been focused on, and I’ve been focused on my fight.”

Mayweather made similar comments during a recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live.

Regardless of the drama, Mayweather is preparing for one of the biggest fights of his career, as he has an opportunity to improve to 50-0.

As one of the greatest boxers of all time, Mayweather will be a heavy favorite when he enters the ring at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas to face McGregor, who will be competing in his first career professional boxing match.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Mark Hunt Calls Jon Jones a ‘Cheating Ass Loser’ After Failed Drug Test

UFC heavyweight Mark Hunt blasted Jon Jones on Tuesday after UFC president Dana White announced that Jones failed a drug test prior to his UFC 214 fight against Daniel Cormier.
According to TMZ Sports, Hunt called Jones a “cheating ass loser” and said …

UFC heavyweight Mark Hunt blasted Jon Jones on Tuesday after UFC president Dana White announced that Jones failed a drug test prior to his UFC 214 fight against Daniel Cormier.

According to TMZ Sports, Hunt called Jones a “cheating ass loser” and said Cormier “should get all of Jones’ money.”

Per TMZ, Jones tested positive for the anabolic steroid Turinabol.

Jones defeated Cormier by third-round knockout July 29 to win the UFC light heavyweight title, but his status is now in question.

Hunt has been in a position similar to Cormier, as he lost to Brock Lesnar via unanimous decision at UFC 200 last year.

After the fight, it was announced that Lesnar tested positive for clomiphene and 4-hydroxyclomiphene, so the result was thrown out and instead became a no-contest.

In response, Hunt sued UFC, White and Lesnar in January, citing UFC’s waiving of Lesnar’s obligation to undergo four months of random drug testing before returning to the Octagon.

Hunt explained the reasoning behind the lawsuit and the principle he was fighting for in May, according to Zane Simon of BloodyElbow.com:

“Do I want it to go to discovery? Yeah, of course I want it to go to discovery. Like I said, this s–t is going all the way. These guys are gonna have to make this right, and not just with me, but with every fighter’s contract. I want the Mark Hunt clause put in their contract. I want every fighter’s contract to put in—if you are juicing, all their money should go to the other guy. If you’re both juicing, none of you guys should get money. People say, well why don’t you take 80 percent, blah blah blah? I say, okay, so me losing my life is 80 percent worth? No. They shouldn’t get anything. Cheaters don’t deserve any sort of money. He knew. These guys that cheat know that they’re gonna get into a fight three or four months down the track, so they premeditatedly know that they’re gonna fight, so they cheat. So it’s like someone trying to rob a bank. They’re planning it out, they premeditate, they go rob the bank and they get the money. It’s like what these juice heads are doing with fighting.”

The lawsuit survived a motion from the defendants to be dismissed in June and remains active.

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Demi Lovato to Sing National Anthem Before Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor

Showtime confirmed Tuesday that Demi Lovato will sing the national anthem prior to Saturday’s fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor, according to TMZ Sports. 
Per TMZ, Lovato is a natural fit as a fan of combat sports who trains in…

Showtime confirmed Tuesday that Demi Lovato will sing the national anthem prior to Saturday’s fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor, according to TMZ Sports. 

Per TMZ, Lovato is a natural fit as a fan of combat sports who trains in mixed martial arts at Jay Glazer’s gym in Los Angeles.

The bout will take place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and pit arguably one of the greatest boxers in history against a fighter making his professional boxing debut.

While the 40-year-old Mayweather hasn’t fought in two years, he is a perfect 49-0 as a professional boxer and perhaps the greatest defensive fighter of all time.

McGregor boasts a 21-3 record in MMA and is the reigning UFC lightweight champion, but the 29-year-old is stepping into uncharted waters.

Despite the mismatch on paper, much of the money in Vegas has been placed on McGregor to pull off the major upset.

According to OddsShark, Mayweather is a minus-465 (11-50) favorite, while McGregor is a plus-365 (73-20) underdog.

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Conor McGregor Reveals Versace Robe on Instagram Ahead of Floyd Mayweather Fight

Conor McGregor will be a heavy underdog when he faces Floyd Mayweather Jr. on Aug. 26, but the UFC lightweight champion may be set to approach the ring in style.
On Thursday, McGregor tweeted a photo of a robe that was sent to him by Versace:

McGregor…

Conor McGregor will be a heavy underdog when he faces Floyd Mayweather Jr. on Aug. 26, but the UFC lightweight champion may be set to approach the ring in style.

On Thursday, McGregor tweeted a photo of a robe that was sent to him by Versace:

McGregor is preparing for his first professional boxing match, while Mayweather will look to improve his career record to 50-0.

McGregor has already made some intriguing fashion statements during the build toward the fight, including wearing a suit pinstriped with the words “f–k you” at a press event with Mayweather.

The 29-year-old Irishman has oozed with confidence since the fight was announced, but few are giving him a legitimate chance.

Although he is 21-3 in his MMA career and a two-division champion, his only boxing experience aside from his recent training is amateur in nature.

Conversely, Mayweather is arguably one of the best pound-for-pound fighters of all time with wins over the likes of Manny Pacquiao, Canelo Alvarez and Oscar De La Hoya on his resume.

Mayweather admitted to ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith in a recent interview that he isn’t the same fighter he once was, but even an older and slower Mayweather has the advantage entering Aug. 26.

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Jon Jones Couldn’t Lift His Arm Days Before Daniel Cormier Fight, Says MMA Coach

Jackson Wink MMA head coach Mike Winkeljohn said Thursday that Jon “Bones” Jones fought Daniel Cormier at UFC 214 despite suffering an arm injury in training.
During an interview with Submission Radio (h/t FloCombat.com), Winkeljohn said the injury occ…

Jackson Wink MMA head coach Mike Winkeljohn said Thursday that Jon “Bones” Jones fought Daniel Cormier at UFC 214 despite suffering an arm injury in training.

During an interview with Submission Radio (h/t FloCombat.com), Winkeljohn said the injury occurred two days before the fight: “I’ll share with you [that] a couple nights before the fight, yeah, he couldn’t lift his arm —he had hurt it wrestling. He wrestled a little too hard with his partner, maybe a lack of warm-ups, I’m not sure, but it was kind of scary.”

Despite the ailment, Jones knocked Cormier out in the third round to regain the UFC light heavyweight championship.

Winkeljohn added that Jones never considered backing out of the fight: “He basically didn’t say anything other than that he’s fighting. He didn’t say anything about it. Let me put it that way. No matter how much it hurt, if it was tingling, if it felt weak, Jon didn’t say anything. He just went and fought. That’s why Jon Jones is the champion. He has that mindset.”

The bout was Jones’ first in more than a year due to suspension, but he didn’t miss a beat in improving his career record to 23-1.

After the win, Jones called out current WWE Universal champion and former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar for a future fight.

While Lesnar is currently suspended after testing positive for a banned substance last year, he and Jones could potentially put on the highest-grossing fight in UFC history due to their respective drawing power.

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