Joshua is looking to bounce back after a knockout loss to Daniel Dubois and regain his spot as a top contender. Paul, who is 6-0, hopes to prove doubters wrong about his ability to compete at this level.

Their eight-round heavyweight fight is expected to get a lot of attention, not just for the excitement but also because many are questioning whether Paul truly belongs in the sport. You can watch the fight on Netflix, with the main card starting around 8 pm EST.

Betting Odds

Online boxing sportsbooks have Anthony Joshua as a strong favorite at -950, showing that most expect his experience to make the difference. Jake Paul is a +600 underdog, which reflects his short time in boxing and doubts about how he’ll do against a former world champion.

A draw was first listed at +2000, but that option has been taken down, suggesting most expect a clear winner.

Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua

• Paul +600, Joshua -950

Online Props

Besides the main odds, there are plenty of prop bets available at 18+ sportsbook sites. Here are a few more examples from Bovada’s online sportsbook.

Method of Victory

• J. Paul by KO, TKO or DQ +900
• Joshua by KO, TKO, or DQ -350
• J. Paul by Decision or Technical Decision +1500
• Joshua by Decision or Technical Decision +500
• Draw or Technical Draw +2000

Will The Fight Go The Distance

• Yes +325
• No -500

When Will the Fight End – (8 Rounds)

• Round 1 +235
• Round 2 +330
• Round 3 +500
• Round 4 +850
• Round 5 +1400
• Round 6 +2000
• Round 7 +3300
• Round 8 +4000
• Fight Goes The Distance +375

Full Fight Card

Most Valuable Promotions has put together a strong undercard for the Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua event. The lineup includes a cruiserweight fight between Anderson Silva and Tyron Woodley, Alycia Baumgardner defending her unified super featherweight title, and Cherneka Johnson taking on Amanda Galle for the undisputed bantamweight championship. With a mix of legends, champions, and up-and-coming fighters, the event should have something for every boxing fan.

The cruiserweight co-main event features Anderson Silva, a former UFC middleweight champion, against Tyron Woodley, a former UFC welterweight champion. Both have moved from MMA to boxing, and their fight brings extra excitement and the chance for a big knockout, since both are known for their toughness.

Alycia Baumgardner will defend her unified super featherweight title against an opponent who hasn’t been named yet. Her spot on the card shows how women’s boxing is growing, and her fight should highlight her skill and determination.

Cherneka Johnson and Amanda Galle will fight for the undisputed bantamweight title. Both want to make their mark in boxing, and this high-stakes match could be one of the most competitive of the night.

VMA’s Bring New Betting Lines

MTV’s Video Music Awards lacked significant coverage prior to the event, meaning that sportsbooks did not bother to include odds for it. However, the VMA’s would see sports and entertainment overlap in a new way.

On the red carpet, celebrities from every side of the entertainment industry made appearances and posed in their designer outfits. Listed among the most well-dressed of the evening were rapper Machine Gun Kelly and his girlfriend Megan Fox.

Being one of the hottest new couples in Hollywood, MGK and Fox were held up for several minutes doing photo ops. Nearby, MMA fighter Conor McGregor was posing with his wife.

While McGregor can be seen wearing a smile from ear to ear in the earlier press photos, emotions got tense very quickly and an altercation began.

McGregor v. MGK

Everyone on the Internet woke up to an iconic image of Conor McGregor throwing a swing across a crowd at Machine Gun Kelly. Most would hardly call what happened a fight, as no contact was actually made. Nonetheless, the news has dominated headlines.

Some reported that Machine Gun Kelly denied McGregor a photo op, causing the fight. Representatives for the MMA star quickly refuted this claim. The reason for the fight’s start remains a rumor, though we expect more information on the subject to surface soon.

In light of this celebrity altercation, Bovada has posted odds for a potential fight between Conor McGregor and Machine Gun Kelly.

Machine Gun Kelly Vs Conor McGregor Odds

• Conor McGregor -5000
• Machine Gun Kelly +1000

To be clear: there is no scheduled fight between Machine Gun and Conor McGregor. These odds have come out of speculation since the VMA’s ordeal.

Honestly, it is unlikely that there will be a fight. Conor McGregor does not seem keen on entertaining the idea at all. The MMA fighter put it this way:

“I only fight real fighters, people that actually fight, you know what I mean[?] I certainly don’t fight little vanilla boy rappers. I don’t even know the guy. I don’t know anything about him, except that he’s with Megan Fox.”

Nonetheless, celebrity fighting is rapidly growing in popularity thanks to the Paul brothers. There is no doubt that a fight between McGregor and Machine Gun Kelly would result in a massive turnout.

Source: CNN

After Khabib took down Justin Gaethje in UFC 254, he abruptly announced his retirement from professional fighting. In a heartfelt speech after the fight, he thanked his team and said he could not return to fighting without his dad, who passed away in July 2020. 

Despite what he said, there is a plausible reason to believe that this is not the end for Khabib. For one, UFC president Dana White said that he has talked to Khabib and believes that he will come back and try for a perfect 30-0 record. Dana has been able to coach several fighters out of retirement, most notably Conor McGregor, who has retired three times and returned each time except for the ladder. 

While Khabib did sound since in his retirement announcement, it is also plausible that he would return to the ring for an exhibition fight. In August of 2017, Conor McGregor stepped out of retirement to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr in an exhibition fight that grossed both fighters over $100 million.

18+ online sportsbooks currently have odds for what will likely be Khabib’s next fight if he does decide to step out of retirement. 

UFC Odds

• Georges St. Pierre +225*                                                           
• Khabib Nurmagomedov -265*

*Odds available at BetOnline

In addition to future odds, you will also find match odds for betting on the UFC, and other MMA fights online. To sweeten the deal and buy into the rumors, most online sportsbooks offer future fight odds for everything from celebrity boxing to popular exhibition matchups, including the upcoming Tyson vs. Jones Jr. exhibition fight. Below is an example of future odds found for UFC/Boxing crossovers. 

Boxing Odds: 

• Floyd Mayweather Jr. -1200
• Khabib Nurmagomedov +700

(Must FIght in 2020 For Action)

While it is not likely to see Khabib return for an exhibition boxing matchup, it is likely to think that enough money could sway him away from retirement.

Recently Khabib made headlines for passing his post-retirement drug test, which could be opted-out if he doesn’t want to leave the window open to return to fighting. 

It is hard to believe that someone who could be the best lightweight fighter ever to live could just walk away from the sport without facing defeat, but Khabib is of a different breed. While it is known that he dearly loved his father, who was also his trainer, it is hard to believe that his dad would want anything else but to see his son succeed.

Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov died from COVID-19 complications on July 3rd, 2020. 

Dustin Poirier is a hard-nosed fighter who has been around for 36 MMA fights. His professional record is 31-5-1. At the beginning of the year, many people would not have picked Poirier for this fight but after his recent unanimous decision over Max Holloway, he won a fight night award. Holloway had to jump up a weight class to face Poirier and would have received the title fight if things would have gone his way.

Betting on MMA events has risen in popularity in recent years. This is the first year since sports betting states started enacting laws to allow domestic sportsbooks. If you do not live near a domestic sportsbook, anyone over the age of 18 can bet online with the offshore sportsbooks that are licensed and accept US players.

UFC 242 will take place in Aby Dhabi, the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. This will be the third time the UFC has hosted an event in Aby Dhabi.

Fight Card Odds Provided by BetOnline

Saturday, Sep 07, 2019 – UFC 242

• Dustin Poirier +300
• Khabib Nurmagomedov -400
• Diego Ferreira  +245
• Mairbek Taisumov  -285
• Shamil Abdurakhimov  +385
• Curtis Blaydes -500
• Davi Ramos  +270
• Islam Makhachev  -320
• Paul Felder +115
• Edson Barboza -135

UFC 242 Fight Card:

Weight class

Lightweight – Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Dustin Poirier
Lightweight – Edson Barboza vs vs. Paul Felder
Lightweight – Islam Makhachev vs. Davi Ramos
Heavyweight – Curtis Blaydes vs. Shamil Abdurakhimov
Lightweight – Mairbek Taisumov vs. Carlos Diego Ferreira

Preliminary Card:

Weight class
Women’s Flyweight – Joanne Calderwood vs. Andrea Lee
Featherweight – Zubaira Tukhugov vs. Lerone Murphy
Catchweight (138 lbs.) – Liana Jojua vs. Sarah Moras
Lightweight – Ottman Azaitar vs. Teemu Packalén

Early Preliminary Fight Card:

Weight class
Welterweight – Belal Muhammad vs. Takashi Sato
Welterweight – Nordine Taleb vs. Muslim Salikhov
Middleweight – Omari Akhmedov vs. Zak Cummings
Lightweight – Don Madge vs. Fares Ziam