Lightweight contender Tony Ferguson puts his four-fight winning streak on the line against veteran Gleison Tibau at UFC 184.
“El Cucuy“, which means “The Boogeyman,” has finished the likes of Abel Trujillo and Katsunori Kikuno in that span. His opponent, Tibau, has gone 5-1 in his last six outings, with all five wins coming by decision.
Ferguson isn’t currently a ranked lightweight, but that may soon change. The 31-year-old is as confident as he has ever been and plans on beating the Brazilian bruiser at his own game. He told MMAjunkie’s Steven Marrocco:
If he just wants to sit there and lay on me like Danny Castillo did, he can try to play the judges, but it’s just not going to work, man. He’s going to have a barrage of knees, punches, kicks and elbows coming at his face, and with an unlimited supply of conditioning. That’s one of his downfalls right there.
The Ultimate Fighter Season 13 winner is willing to take risks that other fighters aren’t, as touched on by Marrocco. Ferguson is light on his feet and is prepared for all situations.
Come February 28 at the Staples Center, the former NCAA All-American wrestler from Grand Valley State may surprise the big brute Tibau.
Tibau has been known to weigh over 185 pounds on fight night. Ferguson has trained with similarly sculpted wrestlers in his collegiate days and fought multiple weight classes higher than his natural fit at one time.
“I used to wrestle at 184 pounds. I bumped up two weight classes, and I was wrestling guys who were 210 pounds, no problem, and I’m barely making 174,” said Ferguson.
The extra weight Tibau carries is what Ferguson thinks will be the deciding factor in their meeting.
Tibau won’t wow you with his speed, but his cardio is deceptive. The Florida-based fighter has won 16 fights via decision in his 15-year mixed martial arts career.
He’s durable and has only been finished twice in his lengthy UFC career, including a December 2013 second-round TKO loss to Michael Johnson.
Ferguson appears to have done his homework.
“(Johnson) kept on his feet, kept his shots really light, and he took out Gleison Tibau,” he said. “When I go in and watch film, I look at these guys’ mistakes, and I want to make sure I capitalize on them.”
Though his striking has considerably improved over the last eight years, Tibau‘s hands remain one of his weaknesses. Over the course of his last three fights, he has been outstruck 112:149, per FightMetric.
Ferguson is not a high-volume striker, but he picks his shots. The Boogeyman‘s most recent knockout came against the Japanese karate specialist Kikuno.
The California native teed off on Kikuno with endless jabs and crosses. Ferguson’s entire MMA repertoire was on display.
He tossed the Judo black belt to the ground with ease and nearly ended the fight twice with submissions.
Putting Tibau on his back will be much harder. The Brazilian boasts some of the best takedown defense in the entire UFC. He defends them at a 93 percent clip.
The winner of this meeting is potentially looking at a berth into the Top 15 of the lightweight division. For Tibau, his journey to lightweight prominence has lasted close to a decade.
One look at the Brazilian’s tour of duty and it becomes increasingly clear: He has fought the 155-pound division’s toughest men.
Tibau‘s career has transcended eras—he has been in the cage with everyone from Joe Stevenson and Melvin Guillard, to Rafael dos Anjos and Khabib Nurmagomedov.
The 31-year-old Tibau came up short in his fight against Nurmagomedov—or “The Eagle”—but it was much closer than the scorecards indicated. Tibau stuffed all 13 of the Russian’s takedown attempts and was the more accurate striker of the two.
Ferguson’s best chance to win will be on the feet when he can utilize his speed advantage. He will also want to make use of the five-inch reach advantage he possesses.
His ability to slide in and out of harm’s way will prove pivotal against Tibau.
The Brazilian, however, has fared well against foes he was counted out against and is becoming more refined with age.
Expect a close contest on Saturday night, with The Boogeyman gutting it out for the “W.”
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