Tony Ferguson is aiming to finish the ‘mouthy and very beatable’ Paddy Pimblett when they fight at UFC 296.
Ferguson is a former interim lightweight champion but is on a six-fight losing streak, a run that includes a brutal knockout by Michael Chandler, a submission loss to Nate Diaz, and a dismantling by Justin Gaethje.
Most recently, Ferguson was submitted by Bobby Green in July, but the American is confident that he will bounce back against Pimblett – and that he will do so in impressive fashion.
Speaking ahead of his December fight with the Liverpudlian, the 39-year-old said on The MMA Hour: “I’m not going to say he’s a fat f*** [...] He’s a good fighter. He’s long, rangy, lanky. He likes to put on a show, he’s kind of mouthy.
“Obviously he’s English [...] tall kind of guy, good submission specialist, very beatable. The last fight that he had against Jared Gordon, everybody says that he ended up losing [...] Very beatable guy.
“Six-fight win streak versus six-loss losing streak, which is f***ed up, but I hold a couple of records in the UFC now, and I would like to start that back up, that’s for sure.”
Pimblett, 28, is 4-0 since debuting in the UFC in 2021. His most recent fight took place in December, with “Paddy The Baddy” beating Jared Gordon via decision. As Ferguson alluded to, the result was highly controversial, with most fans and pundits believing that Gordon was denied a rightful victory.
Meanwhile, Ferguson is considered one of the UFC’s greatest ever lightweights, despite his current losing streak. The American won 12 straight fights between 2013 and 2019. He holds wins over former champions Rafael dos Anjos and Anthony Pettis, as well as Donald Cerrone, Edson Barboza and Kevin Lee. While bidding to become a two-time interim champion in 2020, he suffered a heavy beating by Gaethje en route to a TKO loss, which marked the start of his ongoing losing run.
“I believe in good matchmaking; this is a good fight for both of us,” Ferguson said of his bout with Pimblett. “And I know that I’m a fan-favorite, I know I’m the main event for this card. I don’t even f***ing know who else is fighting, I really don’t.
“I’m pulling in all the fans, I’m going to be pulling in a lot of ticket sales for this thing, and that’s the coolest s***. When you’ve got like 18,000 to 20,000 fans screaming your f***ing name and listening to your song, you just hear the beat and everybody’s bumping their heads and they’re just amped up, that’s the kind of s*** that you want to have. That’s the kind of fighters that you want to be able to present. I know Paddy’s got the same kind of thing over there.
Pimblett is one of the most divisive fighters in the UFC— (Getty Images)
“But man, I think it’s a good fight, I’m ready to go out there and I’m ready to win. I’m ready to go for that finish. I haven’t had a finish in a very long time; I’m due, that’s for sure [...] I’m going to go in there, I’m going to finish Paddy. Like, I’m not worried about scaring him. I’m not worried about being angry, trying to go in there with this negative energy. Whatever energy that he’s going to bring, it’s not going to bring me down.
“I feel it. I’m nervous, I’m going to be real. It’s a good feeling to have: not being overconfident. Not doing that and then having that nervous energy makes you want to get back in that room and train harder. I feel like I’m not pressured to do s***. Like, I really want to go in there and I want to do this for myself. I want to do this for myself, my kids, my wife.”
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