Despite his recent struggles, Bobby Green thinks Tony Ferguson can return to the win column against Paddy Pimblett.
Ferguson (25-9 MMA, 15-7 UFC) will look to snap his six-fight losing skid against Pimblett (20-3 MMA, 4-0 UFC) at UFC 296 on Dec. 16 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Ferguson’s most recent loss came to Green by third-round submission at UFC 291. But Green encourages “El Cucuy” to keep fighting and thinks he still has it in him.
“Nothing but respect for my dawg. I would say, ‘Keep going, kid,'” Green told The Schmo. “Everybody telling him to retire and stuff, he’ll retire when he wants to retire. Don’t let nobody tell you different. I fought Tony, so I know what I was dealing with in there the whole entire time.
“Even though I was kicking his ass, Tony was never giving up. He was never going to quit. He was never going to break, and he got that warrior spirit still. So, as long as you got that warrior spirit, go do your thing, bro. You know what I mean? And I think he’s going to beat Paddy.”
Ferguson has tried to revamp his training methods by working with former Navy SEAL David Goggins. But as Daniel Cormier echoed, Green doesn’t think cardio is the issue for Ferguson.
“I just feel like Tony needs a sick-ass guy like me who could kind of tone in his weirdness and put some basics back together,” Green said. “Some of the basic things and he’ll be nice. But, I don’t know why he’s doing all this cardio stuff.
“I think he’d be dope if he just picked up some of the basics, just jab a little better, his head movement a little better. Small little things like that and he’ll be great. He’s punching and his chin is still up, he’s getting hit, nobody’s helping him with those aspects of fighting. It’s nothing to do with his heart or his cardio.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 296.
