Paddy Pimblett: Tony Ferguson fight at UFC 296 'a lose-lose situation for me'

Paddy Pimblett doesn’t see much to gain from beating Tony Ferguson at UFC 296.

Pimblett (20-3 MMA, 4-0 UFC) takes on skidding Ferguson (25-9 MMA, 15-7 UFC) on Dec. 16 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Ferguson will look to snap a six-fight losing streak against Pimblett.

“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,” Pimblett told ESPN.

“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.”

But for Pimblett, former interim lightweight champion Ferguson marks his most prominent opponent to date.

“It’s a big fight,” Pimblett said. “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.”

Pimblett isn’t putting too much stock into Ferguson’s losses. Although most of Ferguson’s setbacks have been by finish, Pimblett said he still showed flashes of his prime self.

“He’s a very dangerous guy,” Pimblett said. “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.”

According to BetMGM, Ferguson is a +200 underdog, meaning a $100 bet on “El Cucuy” would net a $200 profit. Pimblett is a -250 favorite, meaning a $250 bet would be needed on “The Baddy” to return $100 profit.