A.J. HOFFMAN
UFC 229 preview: McGregor-Khabib fight highlights stacked card
Oct 5, 2018, 7:26 am
Connor McGregor is back. Isaac Brekken/Getty Images
Well, fight fans, we finally made it. October 6th is the day we have all been waiting for. UFC 229 has arrived, and marks the long awaited return of The Notorious Conor McGregor after a lengthy layoff, facing maybe his toughest opponent to date. Without further ado, let’s preview the card.
The main event is for the lightweight title, a belt once held by (and still carried by) Conor McGregor (21-3). Khabib Nurmagomedov (26-0), however, is the rightful champion and intends on remaining on top of the 155 lb. world. The matchup is fascinating, as these two fighters are about as different as can be in every way. McGregor, of course, is a dynamic striker with serious knockout power. He moves incredibly well, and is difficult to hit. Nurmagomedov is a world class grappler, both in his ability to chain together takedowns and his ability to control on the ground once he has top position. Khabib has never lost a round in his MMA career. He has never been knocked down in his MMA career. The pressure, however, falls squarely on Khabib. A loss here would drop him down the ladder, and would likely exclude him from ever having a matchup of this caliber again. A win, however, launches him to superstardom, and forces the UFC to treat him (and pay him) as an A-side fighter. The odds of McGregor winning a decision are incredibly slim. If he is going to beat Nurmagomedov, he will need to land a big punch that stumbles or starches Khabib. Khabib will want to get the fight to the ground, and he has not failed to do so yet in his MMA career. Neither fighter has ever faced an opponent who presents such danger, which makes this fight a must watch.
The co-main event features Tony Ferguson (23-3) taking on Anthony Pettis (21-7). Ferguson, who is on a 10-fight winning streak, feels he was the odd man out with the return of McGregor to the division. Ferguson was supposed to get his shot at Khabib at UFC 223, but a knee injury sidelined him until now. Pettis is a former champion who had lost his mojo, but may have rediscovered it in his submission win over Michael Chiesa. Ferguson, a rightful favorite, can not afford to take Pettis lightly. Pettis at his best is extremely dangerous, and Ferguson is likely next in line for a title shot if he survives here.
A light heavyweight battle between Ovince St. Preux (23-11) and Dominick Reyes (9-0) is particularly intriguing. St. Preux lost “top prospect” status when he lost 4 out of 5 between August 2015 and February 2017. He has been on a tear since, winning 4 of his last 5. Reyes is a wrecking machine. Of his 9 fights, only one has been out of the first round. That said, what he can do when put into deep waters with a higher-level opponent. This fight should let us know what kind of a contender Reyes is, and will tell us if OSP is back in the 205 lb. mix.
Houston’s Derrick Lewis (20-5) will face Alexander Volkov (30-6) in a battle of top heavyweight contenders. Volkov, a former Bellator champion, has quickly worked his way up the UFC ladder. A finish of former champion Fabricio Werdum solidified him as a title contender. Lewis, who at one point had retired from the sport, came back to score a win over Francis Ngannou in a confusing and ugly fight. Lewis claimed that he hurt his back early in the fight, and has now flared up in multiple fights. It remains a concern going forward. Volkov is unlikely to try to wrestle Lewis to avoid a standup battle, so this fight should make for some legit fireworks.
The prelims feature Sergio Pettis, Jussier da Silva, Vicente Luque, Scott Holtzman, and a battle of veterans between Gray Maynard and Nik Lentz.
Enjoy the fights!
PREDICTIONS:
Nurmagomedov by TKO
Ferguson by DEC
Saint Preux by TKO
Lewis by TKO
Waterson by DEC
Da Silva by DEC
Luque by KO
Evinger by DEC
Alves by DEC
Kunitskaya by DEC
Lentz by DEC
LaFlare by DEC
What looked like a minor blip after an emotional series win in Los Angeles has turned into something more concerning for the Houston Astros.
Swept at home by a Guardians team that came in riding a 10-game losing streak, the Astros were left looking exposed. Not exhausted, as injuries, underperformance, and questionable decision-making converged to hand Houston one of its most frustrating series losses of the year.
Depth finally runs dry
It would be easy to point to a “Dodger hangover” as the culprit, the emotional peak of an 18-1 win at Chavez Ravine followed by a mental lull. But that’s not the story here.
Houston’s energy was still evident, especially in the first two games of the series, where the offense scored five or more runs each time. Including those, the Astros had reached that mark in eight of their last 10 games heading into Wednesday’s finale.
But scoring isn’t everything, not when a lineup held together by duct tape and desperation is missing Christian Walker and Jake Meyers and getting critical at-bats from Cooper Hummel, Zack Short, and other journeymen.
The lack of depth finally showed. The Astros, for three days, looked more like a Triple-A squad with Jose Altuve and a couple big-league regulars sprinkled in.
Cracks in the pitching core
And the thing that had been keeping this team afloat, elite pitching, finally buckled.
Hunter Brown and Josh Hader, both dominant all season, finally cracked. Brown gave up six runs in six innings, raising his pristine 1.82 ERA to 2.21. Hader wasn’t spared either, coughing up a game-losing grand slam in extra innings that inflated his ERA from 1.80 to 2.38 in one night.
But the struggles weren’t isolated. Bennett Sousa, Kaleb Ort, and Steven Okert each gave up runs at critical moments. The bullpen’s collective fade could not have come at a worse time for a team already walking a tightrope.
Injury handling under fire
Houston’s injury management is also drawing heat, and rightfully so. Jake Meyers, who had been nursing a calf strain, started Wednesday’s finale. He didn’t even make it through one pitch before aggravating the injury and needing to be helped off the field.
No imaging before playing him. No cautionary rest despite the All-Star break looming. Just a rushed return in a banged-up lineup, and it backfired immediately.
Second-guessing has turned to outright criticism of the Astros’ medical staff, as fans and analysts alike wonder whether these mounting injuries are being made worse by how the club is handling them.
Pressure mounts on Dana Brown
All eyes now turn to Astros GM Dana Brown. The Astros are limping into the break with no clear reinforcements on the immediate horizon. Only Chas McCormick is currently rehabbing in Sugar Land. Everyone else? Still sidelined.
Brown will need to act — and soon.
At a minimum, calling up top prospect Brice Matthews makes sense. He’s been mashing in Triple-A (.283/.400/.476, 10 HR, .876 OPS) and could play second base while Jose Altuve shifts to left field more regularly. With Mauricio Dubón stretched thin between shortstop and center, injecting Matthews’ upside into the infield is a logical step.
*Editor's note: The Astros must be listening, Matthews was called up Thursday afternoon!
The Astros are calling up Brice Matthews, their top prospect on @MLBPipeline
via @brianmctaggart pic.twitter.com/K91cGKkcx6
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) July 10, 2025
There’s also trade chatter, most notably about Orioles outfielder Cedric Mullins, but excitement has been tepid. His numbers don’t jump off the page, but compared to who the Astros are fielding now, Mullins would be a clear upgrade and a much-needed big-league presence.
A final test before the break
Before the All-Star reset, Houston gets one last chance to stabilize the ship, and it comes in the form of a rivalry series against the Texas Rangers. The Astros will send their top trio — Lance McCullers Jr., Framber Valdez, and Hunter Brown — to the mound for a three-game set that will test their resolve, their health, and perhaps their postseason aspirations.
The Silver Boot is up for grabs. So is momentum. And maybe, clarity on just how far this version of the Astros can go.
There's so much more to discuss! Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
The MLB season is finally upon us! Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday.
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*ChatGPT assisted.
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