Paddy Pimblett defeated Tony Ferguson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27), at UFC 296 on Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023, live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas Nevada.
"How did he survive the first round? I blew my load trying to get him out of there. That was part of the game plan. A couple of the weeks, I got my second-degree blackbelt and I put it to work," said Pimblett.
15 minutes in the books!
— UFC (@ufc) December 17, 2023
Pimblett and Ferguson are headed to the judges' scorecards at #UFC296 pic.twitter.com/W6KpqVGmSV
Pimblett nearly ended the fight at the end of the first round and controlled the second round on the ground. However, the fight flipped in the third round. Pimblett appeared gassed and his nose had been bleeding since early in the first round. After the early scare, Pimblett grounded Ferguson and controlled the grappling throughout the end of the third round.
UFC fighters reacted to Pimblett's victory. While others questioned how much Ferguson has left.
What a round!!! Paddy on Fire and Tony showing his grit and toughness! #UFC296
— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) December 17, 2023
A reminder that there are no happy endings in the sport of MMA 🥲 #UFC296
— Chase Hooper (@chase_hooper) December 17, 2023
I will fight paddy at 155. Wtf was that
— Cody Stamann (@CodyStamann) December 17, 2023
Paddy’s striking did look much improved. #UFC296
— Alan Jouban (@AlanJouban) December 17, 2023
What do you wanna bet Tony and Goggins are headed to go run a marathon post fight #UFC296
— Miesha Tate (@MieshaTate) December 17, 2023