Lightweight rising star Paddy Pimblett is 4-0 under the UFC banner with three finishes, and will enter the UFC 296 pay-per-view (PPV) event on Dec. 16 in Las Vegas as the -300 betting favorite over former interim champion Tony Ferguson.
But despite having “better boxing” than Ferguson, ex-middleweight titleholder Michael Bisping is not closing the book on “El Cucuy” just yet.
“Paddy Pimblett’s a great fighter, make no mistake,” Bisping said on YouTube (transcribed by MMA Weekly). “He’s faster on his feet. He’s probably got better boxing if you look at it skill-for-skill, but Paddy carries his chin kind of high in the air. I’ve seen better defense on ‘Power Slap’ sometimes.”
Power Slap is the oft-maligned “sport” that features combatants taking unprotected slaps to the dome, drawing an avalanche of criticism for its inherent risks.
At the same time, Ferguson presents his own share of problems.
“Tony Ferguson is at the end of a long, glittering, legendary career,” Bisping said. “He’s almost 40 years old. 39, that’s very old for a lightweight. You depend on speed, your reflexes, your instincts. It’s not about power. Heavyweights rely on power, and power is the last thing to go. Speed, timing, reflexes, they’re some of the first things to go, so certainly that’s part of the reason Tony is slowing down. The damage is part of the reason he’s slowing down, and also the quality of opponent. But Paddy’s not ranked, so a lot of people think that if Tony loses this he should retire.”
We’ll find out if this outrage was warranted in just over 48 hours.
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 296 fight card right RIGHT HERE, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining undercard balance on ESPN2/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.
To check out the latest and greatest UFC 296: “Edwards vs. Covington” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the updated and finalized UFC 296 fight card and ESPN+ lineup click here.