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If Conor McGregor is in fact scheduled to make his Octagon return on Jan. 18 in Las Vegas then oddsmakers only have about 12 weeks to round out some betting lines.
With most of the top lightweight options off the table, including UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, top contender Tony Ferguson, and former interim champion Dustin Poirier, “Notorious” doesn’t have many names to choose from. That’s why fight fans, and oddsmakers alike, believe that Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone and Justin Gaethje are the two most likely opponents for McGregor’s return.
Early rumors put “Cowboy” in the driver’s seat over a disgruntled Gaethje, but doesn’t mean things can’t shift and “Highlight” ends up landing the Red Panty Night. In any case, oddsmakers have already listed betting lines for both scenarios.
According to our friends over at BetOnline, McGregor would be a -185 favorite to take out Cerrone if the two locked horns this January. Cerrone, on the other hand, is currently listed as a +155 underdog, which is understandable considering the veteran fighter has lost his last two Octagon appearances via technical knockout.
On the flip side, McGregor would not be a favorite for a January bout with Gaethje. Instead, “Notorious” and “Highlight” are currently listed at -115 each, which is considered a pick’em fight. That seems like a stretch considering Gaethje has produced four spectacular knockout victories in UFC competition since the last time McGregor actually won a fight, but oddsmakers are giving “Notorious” a little bit of a break due to his world-class striking ability and Gaethje’s willingness to exchange.
Regardless of any of these odds, most fans desperately want to see McGregor step back inside of the cage. Whether they want to see him win or lose, having “Notorious” on board for the duration of 2020 would be a welcomed sight for UFC, its fans, and its newly-crowned broadcast partner, ESPN.
And even though a matchup with Gaethje makes more sense for McGregor and his pursuit for a title rematch with Khabib, “Notorious” and Cerrone have been trying to make a fight happen for quite some time.