1 fighter on the chopping block with a loss at UFC 296
Could this former interim champion be on the chopping block at UFC 296?
UFC 296 could be the last we see of Tony Ferguson with the organization if he loses his fight with Paddy Pimblett.
Ferguson has stated he wants to continue fighting and still has something left in the tank, but he needs a win to prove he's worth keeping around. Before his upcoming fight with Pimblett, Ferguson went through David Goggins' "Hell Week" training program, but it remains to be seen how that could affect his performance on Saturday. Many of Ferguson's peers have feelings about it, most agreeing it could hinder his performance against top prospect and potential future star Pimblett.
Ferguson is currently on the first losing streak of his 15-year career, reaching six straight losses at UFC 291. Pimblett is undefeated since signing with the UFC, going for his seventh straight win with his biggest step up in competition.
Ferguson will be appearing on his 10th UFC PPV card in a row and needs to get back to his winning ways. Ferguson has been on four separate win streaks throughout his career, most recently a 12-win streak that lasted from 2013 to 2019. During that span, Ferguson collected eight performance bonuses and won the interim lightweight title, but was later stripped due to injury.
Ferguson won season 13 of The Ultimate Fighter and holds wins over names like Joe Schilling, Josh Thomson, and former lightweight champions Rafael dos Anjos and Anthony Pettis, his last win coming against UFC Hall-Of-Famer Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone at UFC 238.
Ferguson's losing streak started during his second chance at an interim title against Justin Gaethje and continued with losses against the likes of former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira, former Bellator champion Michael Chandler, and most recently Bobby Green at UFC 291.
Tony Ferguson will look to derail the hype train of Paddy Pimblett at UFC 296
Pimblett, the former Cage Warriors featherweight champion, was 17 fights into his pro career before joining the UFC, wanting to make sure he was ready to face the best fighters in the world. Pimblett's patience has paid off so far, as he is 4-0 with the organization, though his most recent win was littered with controversy. Pimblett faced Jared Gordon at UFC 282 and won by a very controversial unanimous decision when most viewers and analysts had it going the other way. Pimblett will be facing his biggest test in competition with Ferguson as he begins to climb the rankings.
There are a lot of questions going into this fight, including whether the UFC will offer Ferguson another fight if he continues to lose and if this is a lose-lose situation for Pimblett. Nonetheless, this will be an exciting fight. Ferguson will hold the height and reach advantage over Pimblett and both fighters are versed on the ground and know how to finish. Ferguson's veteran experience could be the advantage that keeps this from being his last fight with the UFC, otherwise, this could be it for Ferguson.
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