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Chad Mendes and Conor McGregor are both 17-2-0 in their professional careers. This sets the stage for an interesting, fairly even matchup in the headline event of UFC 189 this Saturday night at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas.
Conor "The Notorious" McGregor is a -190 betting favorite to win the interim featherweight title, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. McGregor owns a three-inch height advantage and an eight-inch reach advantage over Mendes, which could play a major factor in the fight especially if McGregor is able to stay off the mat.
Mendes would pay +155 on an upset and will likely look to get inside on the lengthy striker.
In a rematch of their fight at UFC 167, Rory MacDonald faces Robbie Lawler to top the undercard. MacDonald is a -175 favorite this time around despite losing to Lawler in their meeting back in 2013 by split decision.
Since 2013, Lawler is 6-1 over his last seven fights after going just 1-3 over his previous four fights. MacDonald is 8-1 in nine fights since 2011 and will have the chance to avenge his one loss over that span and win the UFC welterweight title this Saturday.
Prior to the featherweight title matchup in the main event is another solid match on paper between featherweights Dennis Bermudez and Jeremy Stephens.
Bermudez had a seven-fight win streak snapped in his last fight against Ricardo Lamas at UFC 180. Despite that loss, Bermudez is a -205 favorite over Stephens at +165 at the sportsbooks.
Thomas Almeida is a rising star in the MMA ranks, with an 18-0-0 professional record and a 2-0 record in the UFC. Almeida is the biggest favorite on the board this Saturday going off at -900 against Brad Pickett, who is a +550 underdog in the bantamweight matchup.
Other fights on the card include:
Brandon Thatch (-175) vs. Gunnar Nelson (+145); Matt Brown (-200) vs. Tim Means (+160); Alex Garcia (-450) vs. Mike Swick (+325). Nelson is 13-1-1 over through 15 professional fights, while Thatch is 11-2 through 13.