A flurry of bets has indicated that a rematch between Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov could happen a lot sooner than many UFC fans may think.
The Notorious returned to the octagon in some style on Saturday as veteran Donald Cerrone was demolished in 40 seconds.
Attention immediately turned to McGregor's future plans with bookmakers initially going 1/10 that he would fight welterweight Jorge Masvidal next.
But sustained support for a Khabib rematch has seen the odds fall from 15/2 to to just 13/5.
The pair met in October 2018 when the undefeated Russian submitted the Dubliner in the fourth round of their Las Vegas contest.
McGregor has made no secret of his appetite for a rematch and when UFC chief Dana White was asked about McGregor's next fight in the aftermath of Saturday night, he said both Masvidal and Khabib were viable options.
White said: "There are a lot of different things that make sense that you could do. I need to see what he wants.
"He really wants the Khabib fight and I think he’s willing to wait for it.
"Do I want to see the Conor vs Masvidal fight? Sure, but we’ve got to do what’s right.
"It’s a huge fight for their legacy and for the sport."
Oddschecker spokesperson Callum Wilson said: "Whilst Jorge Masvidal remains a fun fight for fans, the rematch between McGregor and Khabib is the one that'll keep the Irishman up at night.
"Since the market opened, 26% of all bets on McGregor's next opponent have backed the Russian.
"Bookies have priced up the rematch already, with the Notorious One 3/1 to get the victory and Khabib priced at 3/10 odds-on favourite."
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