The biggest fight of the year is now just five days away and the anticipation is building. On August 26, Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor will step into the ring in Las Vegas and try to make history by becoming the first ever dual division UFC/WBC champion. It’s an incredible match up, that’s for sure, but even the most ardent fight fans can’t help but be more excited about the betting implications of this highly anticipated bout.
If you’re a fight fan, you’ve probably heard of this matchup. If you’re a sports fan in general, you might have heard of Conor McGregor. But did you know that the betting odds on this fight are some of the best ever? Here’s a quick look at how the betting odds have performed before and after the announcement of the boxing match.
The Odds Before The Match
As expected, the betting odds on McGregor vs. Mayweather were incredibly high before the announcement of the bout. Bookmakers had made a fortune on this fight and it’s easy to see why. McGregor is an incredible underdog in this matchup, having never before fought at this level. Mayweather is considered by many to be the greatest pound-for-pound boxer of all time and is coming off a career-defining win over Manny Pacquiao, in May 2019. He’s the favorite here.
Here’s a breakdown of the betting odds before the bout.
Match Odds
The betting odds on the fight before the fight even happened were in effect a 50-50 split. For all the money bet on Mayweather (5.2 million), it’s almost impossible to find a match at even odds; the majority of the money will be returned. However, there is value in taking a long shot on McGregor (13.8 million), since the win probability is so low. For every dollar you spend on odds, you will get $5 back in profit.
After the bout was announced, the betting odds shifted in favor of McGregor. This is likely because many people thought Mayweather would knock McGregor out in the first round. Bookmakers were forced to adjust their odds after McGregor came back stronger than expected and forced Mayweather to go the distance for the first time in his career. This gave McGregor the win and justified all the hype before the fight even happened. Since then, the betting odds have only continued to shift in favor of the Irishman. If you look at the current betting odds, there’s almost no way to get even money on Mayweather, regardless of whether you’re betting on him to win or lose.
The Verdict
So, what happened after McGregor vs. Mayweather? Well, we can clearly see the effect this bout had on the betting odds. Even though the fight didn’t end up going the distance, as many had predicted, the betting odds still shifted in favor of McGregor. If you compare today’s betting odds to those before the fight, you’ll note a massive difference; there’s now a very clear favorite in this matchup. Just as with any other sport, whenever there’s a big fight, the betting odds always seem to shift in favor of the favorite. This is usually a good thing for bettors. It means there’s a lot of money to be made. However, it also means that it can be difficult to find an underdog to back, especially in the case of McGregor, who is the clear favorite here.
What Does This Mean For UFC/WBC Champions?
The betting odds for this fight don’t just affect fans of both sports; regardless of whether you’re a fan of McGregor or Mayweather, you have to consider the ramifications this fight will have on the champions they’re facing in October. A dual division UFC/WBC champion will be crowned here, with McGregor defending his UFC belt against Mayweather for the WBC title. As for the rest of the bout, it will be Fight of the Year without a doubt.
This dual division fight is unprecedented in mixed martial arts and will have far-reaching implications for the sport. It’s one thing to have one fight per event, but this will be two—maybe even three—fights per event, for the foreseeable future. The sport will never be the same. Thanks to Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor for setting the sports world on fire with their first mega fight. Now, let’s get ready to rumble.