Opening betting odds for Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz revealed

By now the MMA world knows that Nate Diaz has stepped in for Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 196 to fight Conor McGregor in a welterweight showdown.

Diaz stepped in on short notice after Rafael dos Anjos was forced out of the bout with a broken foot. Immediately after Diaz stepped in the MMA world exploded in anticipation of the event with a fan-made promo already surfacing.

Now we have the opening betting lines for the fight as set by Nick Kalikas of MMAOddsBreaker.com. McGregor has been set as a -280 favorite while Diaz is a +220 underdog for the event.

Kalikas spoke to ESPN to discuss the lines as well as the matchup:

“With Nate Diaz stepping in on short notice to fight Conor McGregor at UFC 196, it’s potentially an even more exciting fight in terms of fan interest. Stylistically, Diaz’s best attribute in this fight is his elite Brazilian jiu-jitsu, but that doesn’t mean we’ll see it, because he doesn’t have a great way to get the fight to the floor.

“Diaz has held his own against top lightweight strikers like Donald Cerrone and Michael Johnson. That being said, Conor McGregor’s precision striking, combined with his power, has allowed him to back up every boastful claim he’s made thus far and his confidence is at an all-time high.”