UFC: Paddy The Baddy favoured against Tony Ferguson at UFC 296

Two of the UFC’s most well known unranked fighters will fight at UFC 296. The fight is an opportunity for a young rising fighter to pick up a win against a fighter with a good resume. For the other fighter, this is an opportunity to pick up their first win in the octagon in three years. Despite no title being on the line, each of them has a lot to fight for. The outcome of this fight will have huge implications for both fighters. A loss here could set both men back in the division. A win could resurrect one fighter’s career or potentially make the other a legitimate star in the UFC.

The fight details

Paddy Pimblett will fight Tony Ferguson at UFC 296 on December 16 in Las Vegas. This is a lightweight bout. No title is on the line. Neither fighter is ranked, but they are two of the most well known and exciting fighters in the UFC. Pimblett is the betting favourite heading into this fight on UFC betting sites. He has -275 odds to win the bout on Betway. Ferguson is the underdog. He has +210 odds to pick up his first win since 2019.

Paddy “The Baddy” Pimblett

Pimblett is a fighter on the rise. He has a 20-3 professional mma record, but he has a perfect 4-0 record in the UFC. Pimblett is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Jared Gordon at UFC 282. This will be his first fight since then, meaning Pimblett will have gone a full year without fighting when he steps into the octagon on December 16. This should be the toughest fight of Pimblett’s UFC career. Pimblett has yet to fight a ranked fighter in the UFC.

Pimblett has shown a lot of versatility since stepping into the octagon in 2021. He has two submission victories, a KO/TKO win, and a decision victory. Pimblett has shown that he has power, but can also wrestle whether for defense or offense. At 28 years old, there is a lot of room for improvement. If Pimblett has gotten better since the last time he fought, this should be a tough fight for Ferguson because of Pimblett’s versatility. Despite his lack of quality opponents, Pimblett has a lot going for him in this fight. He is on a four fight winning streak in the UFC, he is a potential future star, he is much younger, and has not taken near the damage that Ferguson has.

Tony “El Cucuy” Ferguson

At one point, Tony Ferguson was considered one of the top lightweights in the UFC. Right now he is on a six fight losing streak and desperately needs to get back into the win column. Ferguson is one of the most relentless fighters the UFC has to offer. He is primarily a stand up fighter who is willing to trade strikes with his opponents. Since losing to current BMF champ Justin Gaethje in 2019, Ferguson has not been able to recapture the form that allowed him to defeat Anthony Pettis and Donald Cerrone. 

Considering Ferguson is 39 and has lost six fights in a row. There are not a lot of reasons to back him in this fight. Ferguson has proven to be a warrior who will not go down without a fight, so expect him to come out swinging. But beyond his age, does Ferguson still have the confidence to win a fight against the upcoming Pimblett after his recent performances? The one advantage Ferguson has for sure is his experience. Ferguson has fought some of the best fighters in the UFC throughout his career. Not just Gaethje, but also former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira and Rafael Dos Anjos.