With all of the attention focused upon the grudge match storyline and the scrutiny that comes with a star as big as Conor McGregor returning to the Octagon after two years, it's easy to overlook just great of a fight on paper Saturday's UFC 229 main event really is. 

McGregor (21-3), the former lightweight champion who was stripped of his title for inactivity, will challenge the current 155-pound king, unbeaten Khabib Nurmagomedov, inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, in what has already been billed as the biggest pay-per-view bout in UFC history. 

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The main reason the fight is so great, from a technical standpoint, is that the overwhelming advantages each fighter brings into the cage meshes beautifully with their opponent's biggest weakness. Although Nurmagomedov (26-0) is rightfully the slight betting favorite from an oddsmakers standpoint, Saturday's fight is no easy pick when it comes to predictions. 

Should you need some extra reasoning to help tilt you in the direction of McGregor, a former two-division champion, regaining his throne, here are five reasons why "The Notorious" will make a triumphant return on Saturday. 

1. Nobody tests chins early like McGregor. Outside of his two welterweight bouts against Nate Diaz, every UFC appearance McGregor has made with the exception of one (7-of-8 in total) have ended via knockout inside of two rounds. The lone exception was his 2013 decision win over current featherweight champion Max Holloway. With his quick hands, accuracy and exceptional mastery of distance by inching forward to his opponents and lulling them into a false sense of security, McGregor's efficiency in his standup game is incredible. 

Whether it's elite talents like Jose Aldo, Dustin Poirier or Eddie Alvarez, McGregor walks you down and soon enough finds your chin cleanly. That recipe becomes a particularly dangerous one for Nurmagomedov considering punch defense on his feet is his most glaring weakness until he takes you down. Watching Michael Johnson, a southpaw striker similar in mold to McGregor, rock him repeatedly in Round 1 of their 2016 bout was an interesting predictor as to how Saturday's fight may play out since Nurmagomedov often stands up too straight with his chin out. His style of shooting in for takedowns could also leave him vulnerable for counter shots.

2. His mental warfare is 'Notorious'. How has McGregor been able to repeatedly draw fighters known for their durability into standing wars against him even when it's in their best interest not to play into his strength? Call him obnoxious, grating or just plain vile but McGregor finds a way to get into your head in the lead-up to a fight and the results speak for themselves. He lured Aldo into coming out swinging and instantly swayed Alvarez into going away from his game plan to wrestle. While he only seemed to have limited success against the stone-faced Nurmagomedov at their press conference last month, McGregor visibly angered him late by talking about his family and connections to organized crime and Russian government. Why is that important? If Nurmagomedov plays too much into his emotions once the two fighters finally square off, the advantage leans to McGregor.

3. Nurmagomedov is dominant but not a finisher. For all of the praise "The Eagle" has received as a destroyer through 10 trips to the Octagon beginning with his 2012 debut, less than half have ended via decision including five of his last seven bouts. In fact, he has only won two fights by knockout and one was against journeyman Darrell Horcher in Nurmagomedov's return from a two-year injury layoff. Even if Nurmagomedov controls large chunks of the early rounds by taking McGregor down and finding success in top position with his incredible ground-and-pound assault, it doesn't necessarily mean he'll finish McGregor. And if Nurmagomedov doesn't, there's no telling what the final two rounds might look like should Nurmagomedov fatigue in the same manner he did in his April win over Al Iaquinta, which doubled as the Russian fighter's first foray past three rounds. 

McGregor corrected his stamina mistakes from his first loss to Diaz by winning a five-round thriller in the rematch. Nurmagomedov has yet to prove he can do the same as images of him getting repeatedly tagged on his feet in the final two rounds by Iaquinta are hard to simply forget. If there's one thing McGregor might have in his favor should he find himself down on the scorecards late, it's that one-punch power to dramatically work his way back into the fight. 

4. Khabib's resume is a bit deceiving. He's unbeaten and largely unchallenged through 26 pro fights and 10 with UFC. But how many times has Nurmagomedov actually been tested? Can he come from behind in a fight to prove he's more than a frontrunner? These are important questions when considering the surprising gap in elite, championship-level experience when comparing the resumes of both fighters. If you count the Mayweather fight, McGregor has headlined the last seven fight cards he has appeared on including six on pay-per-view and three for UFC titles. He has consistently proven an ability to not only revel under the pressure and bright lights of the biggest stage but elevate his game to incredible levels. 

It's difficult to say the same about Nurmagomedov, in part because his resume is deceptively thin when you consider he missed two years due to a knee injury immediately following his breakthrough victory against future champion Rafael dos Anjos and recently lost a full year due to back surgery. Along the way, four times he was booked to fight Tony Ferguson (including twice for UFC titles) in fights designed to declare who had next in the division and all four times injuries to either fighter forced a cancellation. Outside of nearly shutting out dos Anjos and Edson Barboza in dominant fashion, Nurmagomedov is thin on victories over truly elite talent and has been labeled at times as somewhat one-dimensional due to his wrestling-heavy attack. 

5. McGregor deals in magic. It's hard to properly define exactly what has followed McGregor throughout a meteoric three-year rise from his UFC debut in 2013 to his second title win over Alvarez in 2016 before walking away from the sport. Was it luck? Supreme confidence? Sorcery and the dark arts? However you slice it, there has been something magical about McGregor journey in that so many times he entered huge fights as the underdog and each time (save for his UFC 196 collapse against Diaz) was able to deliver a mesmerizing performance. Even when the odds and particular style matchups have been against him, McGregor has willed his way to getting his hand raised. He's insanely comfortable under pressure and isn't afraid to go for broke in order to find out what he's made of. Whether or not there's really anything to his "Mystic Mac" persona, McGregor has that can't-put-my-finger-on-it intangible that makes him hard to bet against.