Ferguson and Pimblett Set to Battle at UFC 296

UFC has officially announced an electrifying bout between Tony Ferguson and Paddy Pimblett, scheduled for UFC 296 in the heart of Las Vegas. The showdown is penciled in for December 16 at the iconic T-Mobile Arena.

Ferguson, once a dominant force with a 12-fight winning spree from 2013 to 2019, is gearing up to break free from his unfortunate six-match losing pattern. Standing across from him will be Pimblett, who’s making a comeback following a recent ankle injury that sidelined him since the previous December.

Pimblett had voiced concerns earlier about his chances of entering the octagon this year, following a surgery in March. He recounted the incident of injuring his ankle in a bout against Jared Gordon at UFC 282. Speaking to Sky Sports (as sourced from MMA Junkie) back in April, Pimblett detailed, “Within the initial moments of the first round, I threw a kick and felt the injury. But fighters push through; that’s what we do. Turns out, it was severe. I had to undergo a comprehensive reconstruction of both inner and outer ligaments.”

Around that period, Pimblett had been on crutches for close to a month and a half.

While there’s been some debate about the clarity of his victory over Gordon, “The Baddy” Pimblett has managed to keep an unblemished record in the UFC, with impressive victories over fighters like Luigi Vendramini, Rodrigo Vargas, and Jordan Leavitt.

On the other side, Ferguson has faced a rough patch since his last win in 2019. His series of defeats have come against top-tier fighters such as Justin Gaethje, Charles Oliveira, Beneil Dariush, Michael Chandler, Nate Diaz, and most recently, Bobby Green at UFC 291.

With the moniker “El Cucuy,” Ferguson, despite never receiving a title opportunity during his prime years, could see this matchup against Pimblett as the perfect opportunity to reignite his career, especially given Pimblett’s recovery timeline. This contest is marked just nine months post Pimblett’s surgical procedure.