UFC 229 is finally upon us my friends and we are actually going to see Conor McGregor throw down with Khabib Nurmagomedov in just a matter of days. But, there are also some other interesting fights on the main card to get excited for too that we’ll break down below.

Khabib Nurmagomedov (c) vs. Conor McGregor

Words almost cannot describe how insane this fight is going to be or the atmosphere when these two get in there and start exchanging. The first round will be the tell-tale round in my opinion, and whoever implements their game plan the first round will probably end up winning the fight. If it’s going to be Conor’s night, it will probably end early whereas if it’s Khabib’s night, expect it to go into the later rounds but perhaps be even more brutal. For a more in-depth analysis, check out the piece I did on it here.

Tony Ferguson vs. Anthony Pettis

Although this is certainly a very fun match-up between two guys who previously held the lightweight title, in my opinion, Pettis isn’t quite deserving of such a big fight as this right now, but it will still be fun while it lasts. The striking exchanges between these two should be interesting as Pettis has a more kicking-centered style and Tony is more of a boxer, but if this fight hits the ground expect Tony to snatch up a submission like his excellent D’arce choke and while Pettis is certainly no slouch on the ground himself, you’ve got to think Tony will have an edge there.

Ovince St. Preux vs. Dominick Reyes

While this fight may not grab the attention quite like the others on the card, it still is an interesting match-up between one of the young guns in the division (which desperately needs it!) taking on one of the division’s mainstays. St. Preux has become somewhat of a gatekeeper at 205, and he’ll be a good test for the younger Reyes who is currently 3-0 in the UFC, all being by first-round finish. This one has finish written all over it and expect it to end within the first 2 rounds.

Derrick Lewis vs. Alexander Volkov

This is one of the more interesting fights on the card between two of the very best in the world at heavyweight. Volkov has been looking great since coming over from Bellator and is coming off a huge win over former heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum via TKO, and if he can get by Lewis here he should be next in line for a title shot in my opinion. Lewis has been plagued with back injuries as of late and is coming off of that stinker over Francis Ngannou which, although is an official win, we all lost in that one. Expect this one to be fun while it lasts.

Michelle Waterson vs. Felice Herrig

And finally, rounding out the main card is a bout between the number 8th ranked strawweight in the world, Michaell Waterson, taking on the 9th ranked strawweight, Felice Herrig. Both have been on the scene a while now yet have yet to challenge for a title so the time is now for either of them to start making a push for that title shot. You can expect this fight to be just as close and evenly-matched as they are in the rankings and it’s probably going the distance whichever way it goes.