TALE OF THE TAPE!

Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor will soon let their fists — not their traps — fly, colliding in a blockbuster pay-per-view (PPV) main event inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, that pits an undefeated mixed martial arts (MMA) mauling machine against the first-ever Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) “champ-champ.”

It’s a 155-pound showdown for Nurmagomedov’s Lightweight world title scheduled for five, five-minute rounds, which was made official after yesterday’s weigh-in event (see full results here). It’s a delicious match up between the most dominant ground specialist in the division (Nurmagomedov) against its most creative and dynamic power puncher. Nurmagomedov is the slight favorite to win tonight, but that’s due in large part to McGregor’s inactivity — he has not stepped foot inside the Octagon in nearly two years. That’s because “Notorious” spent his entire combat sports campaign in 2017 angling for — and securing — a big-money boxing match against Floyd Mayweather, which he would ultimately lose via technical knockout in round 10.

If McGregor is able to defeat Nurmagomedov, he would reclaim the 155-pound title that UFC stripped him of for not defending it. In addition, “Notorious” would cement his status as the most talented pound-for-pound fighter in the sport today. Nurmagomedov, meanwhile, has the opportunity to silence the mouthy Irishman, along with his legion of loyal fans, and emerge as the true undisputed Lightweight champion.

In addition to the “Tale of the Tape” above, check out a few fast facts about nurmagomedov and McGregor ahead of showtime, as well as some other event-related particulars.

Khabib Nurmagomedov
MMA Record: 26-0
Key Wins: Al Iaquinta (UFC 223), Edson Barboza (UFC 219), Michael Johnson (UFC 205), Rafael dos Anjos (UFC on FOX 11)
Key Losses: None

VS.

Conor McGregor
MMA Record: 21-3
Key Wins: Jose Aldo (UFC 194), Eddie Alvarez (UFC 205), Nate Diaz (UFC 202), Chad Mendes (UFC 189)
Key Losses: Nate Diaz (UFC 196)

Of course, there are other outside factors, too, that could influence the final outcome. Here are the people charged with ensuring a clean, fair fight:

• Referee: Herb Dean
• Judges: Derek Cleary, Sal D’Amato and Junichiro Kamijo

Here’s to hoping that the actual fight tonight lives up tp all the hype … and then some.

Remember, too, that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 229 fight card, starting with the Fight Pass online stream at 6:30 p.m. ET and then the FOX Sports 1-televised “Prelims” undercard at 8 p.m. ET before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET RIGHT HERE.

To get up to speed on all the news and notes for UFC 229: “Khabib vs. McGregor” be sure to hit up our comprehensive event hub right here.