The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s last event of the year, UFC 296, is shaping up to be an incredible fight night with an exciting card. UFC boss Dana White recently revealed that fan favorite Paddy Pimblett will face off against UFC veteran Tony Ferguson, and a welterweight clash between Stephen Thompson and Shavkat Rakhmonov was also announced.
Previously, White announced that UFC 296’s main event would feature a welterweight championship bout between Leon Edwards and Colby Covington. In the co-main event, Alexandre Pantoja will be putting his flyweight title on the line against Brandon Royval. The fight card was already looking impressive, but the addition of these fights has made it one of the best cards of the year.
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The British fighter Paddy Pimblett (20-3) hasn’t been seen inside the octagon since UFC 282 in December, where he secured a controversial victory over Jared Gordon. The former Cage Warriors featherweight champion is yet to be defeated in the UFC, and the fight against fan favorite Tony Ferguson is certainly going to be his biggest fight in the promotion.
His opponent, Tony, on the other hand, isn’t in the best form of his life as he is on a 6-fight losing streak. His most recent outing saw him endure a third-round submission defeat at the hands of Bobby Green in July. Before that, ‘El Cucuy‘ had experienced another submission loss, this time in the main event of UFC 279 against Nate Diaz.
Once considered the most dangerous lightweight in MMA, Ferguson’s recent fights have for sure dented his legacy.
Fans back Tony Ferguson to make easy work of Paddy Pimblett
Tony Ferguson might be far from his prime, but his fans are still backing him to end his losing streak against Paddy Pimblett. An ‘X’ user wrote, “Betting Ferguson on this one. Paddy is overrated.”. Another one was of the opinion that it was the fight that Tony needed at this moment; “they are finally giving him an easy fight”.
Although fans remain enthusiastic about witnessing a Tony Ferguson bout, there is a prevailing sense of genuine concern for the former interim lightweight champion. This is because ‘El Cucuy’ has taken a significant amount of damage in the last few years of his MMA career. Many think that it is about time that the UFC legend hangs his boots.
Tony Ferguson will face Paddy Pimblett at UFC 296 in Las Vegas, Dana White announced Friday. pic.twitter.com/XwmpZvhSy2
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) September 23, 2023
“This is just getting sad. Ferguson is a beast, but watching him fight now is painful.” wrote a concerned fan. Another user questioned the thought behind the match-making for this fight as they wrote, “One fighter is on a six-fight winning streak, the other is on a six-fight losing streak.”
This could be it for Tony Ferguson. Many believe that if he loses to Paddy in a lightweight clash, there is no point fighting anymore, and if he wins this one at UFC 296, that could be the perfect moment to bid adieu to the sport on a high note.
