Brendan Schaub reacts to Tony Ferguson vs. Paddy Pimblett booking: “Finally, Tony gets a winnable fight”

UFC analyst Brendan Schaub is happy with the announcement of Tony Ferguson vs. Paddy Pimblett.

Earlier this week, Dana White announced that ‘El Cucuy’ and ‘The Baddy’ will fight in December. The two will face off at UFC 296 later this year, in what could be Tony Ferguson’s seventh loss in a row. Meanwhile, Paddy Pimblett is coming off a controversial win over Jared Gordon in December.

Since the fight announcement, Paddy Pimblett has opened as a massive betting favorite. That, combined with fans’ worry for Tony Ferguson, is a bit confusing to Brendan Schaub. The former UFC heavyweight contender discussed the fight during a recent edition of his podcast.

There, Brendan Schaub admitted that he was really happy with the booking. The heavyweight stated that Paddy Pimblett isn’t better than Tony Ferguson at striking, or grappling. That, combined with the former interim champion’s recent schedule makes the podcaster believe he has a chance at UFC 296.

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“When this first got announced, a close friend of mine texted me saying, ‘It’s not announced yet, but I think they’re doing Tony Ferguson vs. Paddy Pimblett,’ and I go, ‘Finally. Finally, Tony gets a winnable fight,’” Brendan Schaub said on his YouTube channel. “… Not that it’s an easy fight, but look at his last seven fights. Bobby Green, he got submitted, that was a tough one. But Nate Diaz, which was short notice, Michael Chandler, [Beneil] Dariush, Charles Oliveira, and Justin Gatheje. Before that, it was [Donald] Cerrone, Anthony Pettis, Kevin Lee, [Rafael] Dos Anjos. What? Look at who he’s fighting.” (h/t MMAJunkie)

He continued, “…My question for you guys is: Do you really think Paddy Pimblett won his last fight? Most don’t. He’s probably coming off a loss against Jared Gordon. Before that, the only people Paddy has beat was Jordan Leavitt, [Rodrigo] Vargas. They’re impressive fights, but he’s been hit in all those fights. … What aspect of MMA is Paddy Pimblett better at than Tony Ferguson? Striking? No. Grappling? No…”

“I’m not saying I’m picking Tony to win. I’m just saying, this isn’t a terrible fight for Tony.”

What do you make of these comments from Brendan Schaub? Do you believe Tony Ferguson can defeat Paddy Pimblett?