Reserve at least $50,000 in bonus money for this banger of a fight.
A huge lightweight fight is nearly a done deal for the UFC’s 2020 pay-per-view finale.
Dana White told ESPN’s Brett Okamoto on Friday that former interim champion Tony Ferguson is slated to face Charles Oliveira at UFC 256 on December 12th. That is one hell of a matchup to make just three weeks from fight night.
Ferguson (25-4) challenged Justin Gaethje for the interim title at UFC 249, losing by fifth-round TKO in an increasingly one-sided affair. It marked the end of his incredible 12-fight winning streak, one that due to a series of unfortunate events never led to “El Cucuy” ever competing for the undisputed belt. His last win was a doctor’s stoppage TKO of Donald Cerrone at UFC 238 in June 2019.
Oliveira (29-8) is one of the most dangerous submission specialists in UFC history. “Do Bronx” is riding a seven-fight winning streak, with all of those victories coming by finish. He most recently submitted Kevin Lee at UFC Brasilia in March. While he has been on a sensational run of form, he has lacked a major step up in competition, and this is his opportunity.
UFC 256 features a bantamweight championship main event between Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling. One can only assume that Ferguson vs. Oliveira would be the co-main event. I personally wish this would be five rounds.