Conor McGregor Opens as Slight Betting Favorite vs. Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205

While Conor McGregor is the challenger in the UFC 205 main event, oddsmakers are tabbing the Irishman as a slight favorite against reigning lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez.

According to Bovada, McGregor is a -150 favorite heading into the Nov. 12 bout at Madison Square Garden in New York (live odds). Alvarez, meanwhile, is listed at +120. Those odds are likely to change as the UFC 205 headliner approaches.

The bout was announced Monday night on ESPN. McGregor is coming off a majority decision triumph over Nate Diaz at UFC 202 on Aug. 20. That win avenged a second-round submission defeat to the Stockton, Calif., native at UFC 196 in March, McGregor’s first setback in the Octagon.

Alvarez, meanwhile, has won three straight since falling to Donald Cerrone in his promotional debut. After garnering split verdicts over Gilbert Melendez and Anthony Pettis, the Philadelphia native captured lightweight gold with a first-round TKO of Rafael dos Anjos at UFC Fight Night on July 7.

UFC 205 features two other title fights on the main card. Welterweight champion Tyron Woodley (+165) is a slight underdog against Stephen Thompson (-205), while odds for reigning strawweight titlist Joanna Jedrzejczyk’s matchup with Polish rival Karolina Kowalkiewicz have not yet been released.