UFC 223 odds: Khabib Nurmagomedov opens as early favorite over champion Tony Ferguson

If Conor McGregor does indeed get stripped of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Lightweight title -- just like he did the Featherweight strap — current interim champion Tony Ferguson won’t be able to call himself the true 155-pound champion for too long.

That’s according to oddsmaker Joey Odessa, who recently pegged Khabib Nurmagomedov as the favorite to win the strap from “El Cucuy” when the two collide at UFC 223 on April 7, 2018 in Brooklyn, New York.

MMA Junkie has the scoop:

Despite entering on a tear and being the much more active competitor, Ferguson opens up as a firm underdog to Nurmagomedov, according to the Oddessa Line. Veteran MMA oddsmaker Joey Oddessa has set Nurmagomedov at -200 and Ferguson at +165.

Khabib is coming off a dominant three-round bruising of Edson Barboza, which took place at UFC 219 last month and saw “The Eagle” collect his twenty-fifth straight victory to remain unbeaten (see it again here).

As for Ferguson, he hasn’t stepped foot inside the cage since winning the interim strap by taking out Kevin Lee at UFC 216 back in October, his tenth straight win overall.

Should McGregor opt to return to mixed martial arts (MMA) in late 2018, Dana White has already stated that “Notorious” would get the winner of Ferguson and Nurmagomedov.

If not, then the show will go on.