UFC 229 is upon us and to say expectations are high for the event headlined by Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor, well, that would be an understatement of immense proportions.

The UFC has been billing the lightweight title showdown as the biggest fight in UFC history since it was announced. While that might turn out to be true, fans are also hoping it will be the best fight in UFC history. And, to be honest, this matchup has a chance to meet the lofty expectations of both groups. After all, former two-division champ McGregor is already the king of UFC pay-per-view, and both men have delivered some remarkable performances inside the octagon.

In the co-main event, two former lightweight champs hope to put themselves in position to face the winner of the headlining fight. In that matchup, ex-interim champ Tony Ferguson faces former undisputed champion Anthony Pettis.

UFC 229 takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass.

Here are nine reasons to watch the event.

1. Great expectations

McGregor could have fought just about anyone and his return, after a break of 693 days, would have been worthy of a main-event slot on a UFC pay-per-view card. That’s just the way things are in today’s UFC. McGregor (21-3 MMA, 9-1 UFC) is “the show.” Instead of anyone, he elected to face the one fighter in the lightweight division who many feel is his kryptonite, current champ Nurmagomedov (26-0 MMA, 10-0 UFC).

It’s a gutsy move, but not an unexpected one from the man who doesn’t seem to know how to say no to a challenge, at least one that will pay him very handsomely.

This fight didn’t have quite the build-up of other McGregor battles, but did it need it? Did it really need any build-up at all?

In Nurmagomedov, you have a fighter who pairs a smothering grappling game with some of the most horrifically violent ground-and-pound the UFC has ever seen. As for McGregor, he has a lethal left hand to go along with a master technician’s sense of timing and space. And that’s the beauty of this fight.

Could Nurmagomedov, who tends to leave his chin exposed when he pushes in for takedowns, get clipped by a McGregor left? Yes, yes he could. Could McGregor find himself taken down and held there while Nurmagomedov unleashes a litany of terrifying ground strikes while also searching for an opening for a submission? Yes, that could happen, as well.

And while that drama plays out inside the cage, the atmosphere in the crowd, in bars and in homes across the world, will be a frenzy of fanaticism.

This is the type of matchup that can get even the most jaded fight fans excited because no one knows precisely how it will play out. We only know that we are expecting exactly what UFC President Dana White has promised since the UFC announced the matchup, and that is the biggest (and best) fight in the history of the promotion.

That’s not asking too much, is it?

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