Urijah Faber makes pick for Conor McGregor vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov fight

On October 6, in the main event of UFC 229, undefeated UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov will attempt to defend his title against the sport’s biggest star, former lightweight and featherweight champion Conor McGregor. It’s one of the biggest fights in UFC history, and one that has fans, pundits, and the pair’s fellow fighters divided.

There are those that believe Nurmagomedov’s grappling and pressure will simply be too much for McGregor. Simultaneously, there are those who believe that McGregor’s timing and power will spell the end of Nurmagomedov’s unbeaten streak.

File former WEC featherweight champion and UFC bantamweight title challenger Urijah Faber into that latter category.

Faber, who got to know McGregor quiet well when they coached The Ultimate Fighter against each other, believes the Irishman will be at a distinct advantage because every round will start on the feet. In this phase, he suspects McGregor will have the chance to land one of his vaunted, fight-ending punches on Nurmagomedov.

“I think odds are in Conor’s favor, because it starts standing every round, and unless Khabib can take him down over and over again, right off the bat, the power’s a little much,” Faber said.

“I mean, I could be on the fence on this one, because Khabib could take him down a hundred times too. But ‘Mystic Mac’… He beat some good guys. Chad Mendes, Jose Aldo, those guys don’t get knocked out often… Eddie Alvarez… yeah a lot of tough guys.

What do you think of Urijah Faber’s prediction for the UFC 229 main event? Are you picking Conor McGregor or Khabib Nurmagomedov? Join the debate in the comments section below.

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 8/12/2018.