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.
