Paddy Pimbeltt faces Tony Ferguson in the opening fight of the UFC 296 PPV, in what could potentially be the final fight for Ferguson. Ferguson does not seem to have any retirement thoughts, but his second-longest losing streak in the UFC raises concerns.
Only BJ Penn with 7 has a longer win streak than Ferguson, who is tied with Elvis Sinosic, Phil Baroni, and Hector Lombard for the second-longest losing streak. The fight between Paddy Pimblett and Tony Ferguson is unofficially a passing-of-the-guard fight.
Paddy Pimblett reveals Tony Ferguson’s bizarre social media action
Tony Ferguson is an enigmatic personality which was evident throughout his UFC career. Ferguson, who was ‘The Boogeyman’ of the division when he was on a record 12-fight wins streak is now just a pale shadow of his former self.
Nevertheless, Ferguson is still enigmatic when it comes to fighting preparation and training. During the pre-fight media day, Paddy Pimblett revealed that Ferguson has blocked Pimblett on Instagram.
“One of me mates said to me, ‘Tony’s on his way to Vegas,’ I was like, ‘Is he?’ I went to look at hisstory and he blocked me. Bit of a weird one, shows I’m in his head,” said Pimblett who believes that the the block is an advantage that he holds over Ferguson.
Paddy Pimblett sees mental flaws in Tony Ferguson ahead of their #UFC296 fight. pic.twitter.com/sOUNVdC9Tc
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) December 14, 2023
Ferguson does bizarre things in and outside the octagon. His unpredictable maneuvers inside the octagon were what made him very dangerous. Moreover, he trains Wing Chun sparring on Karate sticks, kicks metal posts with his shin, and does a wide variety of outrageous things.
For the fight against Pimbett at UFC 296, Ferguson is training with ultra-athlete, David Goggins. Jon Anik in a recent interview revealed that Goggins will be in the corner of Ferguson for the fight.
Paddy Pimblett wants Tony to go out with a win
Tony Ferguson is one of the best lightweights ever in the UFC. It is evident by his UFC lightweight record of 12 consecutive wins in the division, a record he shares with Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev. Ferguson was beloved by fans and fighters all around the word and Paddy Pimblett was one of them.
“I really respect Tony Ferguson. He’s one of the top five lightweights of all time,” said Pimblett in an interview on TNT Sports showcasing his respect for Ferguson and his stature in the lightweight division.
“Even I want Tony Ferguson to get a win and then retire, I just can’t let him do it at my expense. It’s not happening,” said Pimbeltt showcasing the high level of respect he has for Ferguson of whom he was once a fan.
“I’m going in there expecting, like, an El Cuccuy, that showed up against Donald Cerrobe and and Pettis. I’m not going in there expecting the slow version showed up against Bobby Green,” said Pimblett of his preparation for Ferguson. Pimblett plans to face off against Bobby Green after UFC 296.
Do you think Paddy Pimblett will destroy Tony Ferguson at UFC 296? Leave your prediction below!
