SportsJOE’s betting guide to the biggest fight night of the year: Conor McGregor vs Chad Mendes

Who to place your money on at UFC 189?

UFC 189 is one of the most anticipated MMA events of the year, particularly from an Irish stand point. Whenever there's a lot of eyes on a sporting event, you better believe there's a lot of money being thrown around. With that in mind, we've decided to give you some advice on who to back on July 11th. Believe in Gunni Gunnar Nelson goes up against rising welterweight Brandon Thatch on the main card. Although he is coming off a loss, Nelson is still arguably the best Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner on the continent of Europe. Gunni has finished 9 of his 13 victories by way of submission while Thatch fell victim to Benson Henderson's rear-naked choke in his last trip to the Octagon. If Nelson wins this one, it will more than likely be with a submission, which can get at very generous odds of 33/10. Back the champ Despite being the challenger, Rory MacDonald is still the slight favourite to claim the belt in the co-main event. This is a bit odd considering he has already defeated the Canadian and is coming off arguably the best perfromance of his career against Johnny Hendricks. No one has defended the belt since GSP vacated it, but Lawler looks like he has the skill set to hold on to it for a while. You can get Robbie Lawler to defend his title @6/4. The pessimist The smart play is to steer clear of the main event because there are so many unknowns, mainly about McGregor's ability against elite level opposition. However, it is arguable that Mendes' wrestling acumen will be too much for the Notorious to cope with. If you only envisage a lot of Irish fans being disappointed in LAs Vegas on Saturday night then a 6/4 punt on Mendes to win might be the bet for you. The patriotic punt It's very tempting, isn't it? If you hear the travelling Irish support chant "You'll never beat the Irish" enough times, eventually you'll start to believe that we are invincible. There's always a chance the Irish fighters on the card can recreate that magical night in Dublin and complete a clean sweep. A €10 accumulator on Neil Seery @20/21, Cathal Pendred @4/5, Gunnar Nelson @7/5 and Conor McGregor 10/19 all to win and you'll get a return of €128.70. All prices and bets are available from Ladbrokes