Kamaru Usman opens as massive favorite over Conor McGregor in potential welterweight title fight

If Conor McGregor really wants to challenge for the UFC welterweight title, he’s going to have some serious odds against him actually becoming champion.

During an impromptu Q&A with fans on social media, McGregor touted his future at 170 pounds, saying he would “spark” the current champion, Kamaru Usman.

In response, Usman fired back by saying the only spark McGregor has been enjoying lately has been from the “pipe you’ve been smoking.”

While it seems highly unlikely McGregor will actually get a shot at the welterweight title, especially after breaking his leg in a trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier that dropped his record to 1-3 in his past four fights, there are now odds on the potential matchup.

According to odds makers at SportsBetting.ag, Usman has opened as an overwhelming favorite in a possible fight against McGregor, who has only competed at welterweight a handful of times in his career.

Kamaru Usman -700

Conor McGregor +450

From a betting perspective, it would require a whopping $700 bet on Usman to win back $100 should he walk away victorious, while that same $100 bet on McGregor would earn $450 in return should he pull off the massive upset.

In terms of odds history, Usman hasn’t been favored to win a fight by this wide of a margin since before he was champion and got matched up with fellow welterweight Emil Meek. On that night, Usman was a -705 favorite so just slightly ahead of his opening odds with McGregor.

Since becoming champion, Usman has been a dominant force in the UFC with lopsided victories over Colby Covington, Gilbert Burns and a pair of wins over Jorge Masvidal. Usman is currently ranked No. 1 pound-for-pound in the sport according to the MMA Fighting Global MMA Rankings as well.

As for McGregor, he’s probably going to be focused more on his recovery from the broken leg than worrying about a future showdown with Usman.

McGregor underwent emergency surgery just after the injury occurred in July, and it’s likely he won’t be able to compete again until 2022 depending on his recovery.