Tony Ferguson, a former UFC interim lightweight champion, is confident he will outrun Paddy Pimblett in speed.
The most noteworthy of the numerous bouts just revealed by the UFC for the last quarter of 2023 was probably Tony Ferguson’s most recent booking.
Ferguson has recently struggled, dropping six straight matches over the last three years. On the strength of a record-breaking 12-bout victory streak, “El Cucuy” was in title contention prior to his current slump.
Also Read:
Montel Jackson To Be Replaced By Alateng Heili At UFC Vegas 80
Islam Makhachev Aiming For Welterweight Division After UFC 294
‘Lose For Paddy’ Sean O’Malley’s Opinion On Ferguson vs Pimblett
Tony Ferguson Says He Will Be In Advantage
The TUF 13 winner, however, went on to lose to Charles Oliveira, Beneil Dariush, Michael Chandler, Nate Diaz, and most recently Bobby Green following a challenging defeat to Justin Gaethje.
Many urged for Ferguson to end his cage career after his loss to “King” at UFC 291 in Salt Lake City this past July. “El Cucuy” will walk again come December since he’s vowed to continue his MMA career.
One former UFC champion says Ferguson should call it quits after one more loss, but he also feels he has what it takes to defeat his next opponent.
Ferguson will face lightweight prospect Paddy Pimblett in the Octagon at UFC 296 in Las Vegas, a pay-per-view event that will wrap up the organization’s 2023 season on December 16.
Even though the former Cage Warriors champion has never lost on MMA’s biggest stage, his performance against Jared Gordon last time out has many wondering if he has what it takes to compete against those at the top of the food chain.
Ferguson seems to think that he can equal Pimblett’s speed as well. Recently, “EL Cucuy” said that his present training had made him “faster than ever.”
“ I’m faster now than I’ve ever been, which is the craziest thing… I’ve been competing in sports for 35 years. But what it does is, if you don’t have somebody testing you and teaching you new things, you start to plateau… I’m back in that good position where I’ve been learning new stuff… I’m a 39-year-old that’s faster than a lot of 21-year-olds.”
When the 39-year-old enters the Octagon later this year in search of a long-awaited return to winning ways, he will aim to demonstrate that and that his strength still resides in other aspects.
