Ferguson vs Pimblett
(10:30 PM EST/7:30 PST)
One of the most notable fights of UFC 296 is Tony ‘El Cucuy’ Ferguson against Paddy ‘the Baddy’ Pimblett. Ferguson is on a six-fight losing streak, four by finish, and looks slow as molasses at age thirty-nine. The problem with losing that speed and explosion is that Tony famously relied on those physical attributes to succeed, and he has not molded his style to be more permissive of his old age. Particularly notable is his decision to focus entirely on physical condition by training with David Goggins, outwardly eschewing any type of technical improvement. Ferguson can beat Pimblett, but I have no desire to watch Tony fight anyone these days, let alone a prospect who the UFC are trying to push by allowing him to beat old man Tony Ferguson.
O’Neill vs Lipski
(8 PM EST/5 PST)
Casey O’Neill vs Ariane Lipski is a binary fight; O’Neill is a grappling specialist while Lipski prefers to striker. Lipski lost to every wrestler she fought for a long time, but recently developed capable takedown defense. However, she has not yet faced a challenge in that area like ‘King’ Casey, whose grappling got her to her current ranking of twelfth at women’s flyweight. If Lipski wins, it will be through defending takedowns and out-striking an awkward striker in O’Neill. The fight is not one that I have pinned as boring, but it narrowly missed the top ten on this stacked fight card.
Gaziev vs Buday
(6:30 PM EST/3:30 PST)
The first fight of the night features a pair of big old heavyweights with potential. This should be a grindy wrestle-fest though, as Gaziev is undefeated due to his Dagestani wrestling style and Buday himself likes to wear on opponents with clinch control and takedowns. Despite being massive, Buday has only one finish in his four UFC wins and Gaziev has not yet proven to be a finisher against UFC-level fighters. There is always potential for a knockout at heavyweight, but there is equally potential for a major snoozer.
Ulanbekov vs Durden
(7:30 PM EST/4:30 PST)
Tagir Ulanbekov is another Dagestani wrestler, a member of Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov’s famous team. Although he got a finish in his last fight, he has been known as a lay-and-pray wrestler at times in his career. Cody Durden is a strong wrestler who is guilty of that at times as well but has a higher striking output on both the feet and the mat. These two specialists may stifle each other’s game and force an awkward striking match. The scrambles on the mat could be excellent, as with many flyweight fights, but the fight is equally likely to have grappling exchanges which stall for long periods of time.
