Paddy Pimblett explains why there is no upside to fighting Tony Ferguson at UFC 296

Paddy Pimblett is explaining why there is no upside to fighting Tony Ferguson at UFC 296.

UFC 296 takes place on Saturday, December 16th, at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada.

Pimblett (20-3 MMA) will return to the Octagon to fight Tony Ferguson (25-9 MMA) in a lightweight bout.

Ferguson, 39, will looking to snap a six-fight losing streak when he meets ‘The Baddy’. ‘El Cucuy’ last fought and was defeated by Bobby Green (31-14 MMA) this past July at UFC 291.

Pimblett, 28, last fought and defeated Jared Gordon (20-6 MMA) in December of last year at UFC 282. Following that victory Pimblett faced a long recovery period because of an ankle injury sustained during the fight.

Speaking with ‘ESPN’, Pimblett believes his upcoming fight with Tony is a lose-lose situation:

“This is a lose-lose situation for me because when I beat him, people are going to be like, ‘Tony was finished anyway. He needed to retire anyway.’ But if the unthinkable happens and I do lose, I’ve been beaten by a finished Tony Ferguson.”

Continuing, Pimblett said (h/t MMAJunkie):

“So it’s one of them. It is a lose-lose situation, but at the same time, I’ve told you before and I’ll say it again: I never turn down a fight. Whatever fight gets offered to me, I take it. And I got offered Tony Ferguson.”

Paddy Pimblett is taking the fight with Tony Ferguson seriously, saying he’s fighting a ‘legend’:

“It’s a big fight. The biggest fight of my life, fighting an absolute legend of the sport. He’s one of the top five lightweights of all time. He went on a 12-fight win streak. He’s a brilliant fighter. He’s got a great personality, as well, so I can’t wait to share the octagon with such a legend.”

Concluding, Pimblett stated:

“He’s a very dangerous guy. He can finish anyone. Even in the fights that he’s lost on the six-fight losing streak, he nearly finished Justin Gaethje in the second round, nearly finished Michael Chandler in the first round. He dropped Bobby Green in the first round. So it’s not as if in all of these fights he’s being absolutely dominated.”

Heading into the fight with Ferguson, according to BetMGM Pimblett is the favorite.

Who are you predicting will take home the prize on the 16th of December – Tony Ferguson or Paddy Pimblett?

Share your thoughts in the comment section PENN Nation!