Lack of experience and boxing technique haven’t swayed bettors away from the underdog Irishman, Conor McGregor. Both mixed martial arts and casual boxing fans believe in the possibility of a McGregor victory over the heavily favoured Floyd Mayweather Jr. Currently, Mayweather is –600 to defeat McGregor, who’s a +400 underdog. Although Mayweather is the clear favourite to walk away from the fight victorious, McGregor’s unpredictability and reputation as a hard-hitting striker has cast a shade of doubt on Mayweather’s certain victory.

After a raucous press tour that spanned two continents and four major cities, the buzz around the Mayweather/McGregor tilt has grown. This has, in turn, spurred a flurry of betting activity, and even more is expected in the lead-up to the match. Approximately $4.7 billion dollars was wagered on Super Bowl LI, which is the biggest sports betting event each year. But recently, rumours have circulated suggesting that the ‘Superfight’ would top Super Bowl wagering. It’s hard to imagine, but the storyline of arguably the greatest defensive fighter ever coming out of retirement and risking a perfect 49-0 record to fight a younger, unpredictable mixed martial arts fighter has been too good for bettors to pass up.

 

Bet on Unconventional MMA Props

The interesting props offered have added additional flare to the fight as well. For example, the odds that McGregor will forget he’s in a boxing ring and throw a kick during the course of the match is +1000. You can also bet on whether McGregor’s prophesy to knock Mayweather out “Inside Four Rounds” will come true, with +700 odds that he will, and –1500 odds on any other result. For some outside-of-the-ring action, bet on how many Pay-Per-View purchases will be made for the fight; over 4.99 million purchases is the –250 favourite, while less than 4.99 million is +170.

Regardless of the hype, the fact is, this is still a boxing match. And as a result, Floyd Mayweather Jr. is expected to have his way with the MMA fighter turned boxer. Boxing experts in every corner of the world are certain that Mayweather Jr. will walk away victorious. Further to that, reports suggest that McGregor was recently knocked out while sparring with Bradley Wheeler, a fellow MMA fighter. McGregor’s camp has since dismissed those reports, but where there’s smoke, there’s often fire.

No matter the result, this match will likely go down as the greatest single revenue generator either boxing or MMA has ever experienced. Although the match may not resemble the ‘Sweet Science’ that boxing fans have come to expect, there have been few events anticipated like this one. Don’t miss the action on August 26 in Las Vegas.

 

*Odds as of July 21, 2017