There’s a UFC 296 fight Saturday that on paper looks like a potential blowout.
Paddy Pimblett was riding a wave of finishes, post-fight bonuses and popularity until a lackluster win a year ago. Still, he’s one of the sport’s most heralded lightweight prospects. Tony Ferguson is a former interim champion and at one point during his run had 12 straight wins with nine finishes and nine post-fight bonuses. But in the past 3.5 years, he’s lost six straight, including four by stoppage.
So why is Ferguson (25-9 MMA, 15-7 UFC) vs. Pimblett (20-3 MMA, 4-0 UFC) happening if the two fighters are going in that divergent of directions? It would have been unthinkable a few years ago for Ferguson to be a betting underdog, period, let alone a big one. But these days, +250 like he currently is against Pimblett is the norm and was in a similar range for his recent losses to Michael Chandler and Bobby Green.
Both fighters are in interesting spots, though. If Ferguson loses, it will be his seventh straight – which would tie former lightweight and welterweight champion and failed Hawaii gubernatorial candidate B.J. Penn in UFC record book infamy. He’d also be forced, no doubt, to make a decision on retirement, particularly since a seventh straight loss likely would spell the end of his time in the UFC.
And on the Pimblett side, a loss to Ferguson as a favorite of more than 3-1 would be a crushing shot to his star turn. And if he wins, and wins easily, it may be looked at as ho-hum since he was expected to beat someone with six straight losses who is nearing the end of his career. That puts the Brit in between a major rock and a hard place.
Which one of those two is in the most interesting position heading into UFC 296 in Las Vegas? Our “Spinning Back Clique” panelists Farah Hannoun, Brian “Goze” Garcia and Dan Tom talked that through with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia.
Check out their discussion in the video above, and don’t miss the most recent full episode of “Spinning Back Clique” below on YouTube.
