With a big day ahead, let’s get to our Paddy Pimblett-Tony Ferguson, pick, odds and preview. Be sure to check out the rest of our UFC articles, including our full-card breakdown, and or our betting model’s top picks
Paddy Pimblett-Tony Ferguson Pick, Odds and Preview
Paddy Pimblett-Tony Ferguson Odds
Odds via DraftKings
Weight Class: Lightweight
Pimblett: -330| Ferguson: +230
Pimblett -3.5: -185 | Ferguson +3.5: -140
Over 2.5: +100| Under 2.5: -130
Paddy Pimblett-Tony Ferguson Pick & Preview
The fight between Paddy Pimblett (20-3) and Tony Ferguson (26-9) was a head-scratcher when it was booked, and so it remains.
While it is true the young eat the old in the UFC, there doesn’t seem to be much for Paddy to gain from beating a skidding Ferguson — but he has quite a lot to lose.
With heavy odds in his favor, Pimblett’s inability to effectively defend himself leaves bettors willing to trust Ferguson to return to form with an edge.
In his controversial decision victory over Jared Gordon, Paddy employed an interesting defensive technique to confuse his opponent called “leading with his chin.”
Jokes aside, Paddy’s deficiencies in striking defense are well documented: he absorbs about 3.5 strikes per minute at a paltry 41% defense rate.
This doesn’t tell the entire story, as many of the shots that Gordon landed struck Paddy without so much as a flinch to lessen the impact even slightly.
Ferguson, despite his recent skid, still holds some of the pop in his hands he was known for in his younger days, and despite getting thoroughly outclassed by Bobby Green in his last fight, he still landed some hefty shots to stun Green in the earlier rounds.
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I’m not sure how much credence we should lend to Ferguson’s six-fight losing streak, as those fights came against the top end of the division and proven veterans. Even with such a poor stretch, Ferguson has produced a knockout win in 22% of his UFC fights, well above the implied odds of 14% given by DraftKings.
Plimbett’s biggest advantage will likely come from his submission grappling, but all evidence points to him keeping the fight on the feet, as he has only attempted eight takedowns in his four bouts, landing only two of them. If both fighters stay upright and Plimbett doesn’t significantly improve his striking defense, Ferguson will have plenty of chances to end the fight in an instant.
Best UFC Pimblett-Ferguson Bet & Pick: Ferguson to Win by KO/TKO/DQ +600 at DraftKings