UFC CEO Dana White has responded to those who aren’t on board with Paddy Pimblett vs. Tony Ferguson.
UFC 296 is stacked, and the welterweights are getting the shine. In the main event of the UFC’s year-end pay-per-view, Leon Edwards will put his 170-pound gold on the line against Colby Covington. Also featured on the card will be Stephen Thompson vs. rising welterweight Shavkat Rakhmonov.
Then, we have Paddy “The Baddy” vs. “El Cucuy.” While some have shown intrigue in the matchup, others feel Ferguson shouldn’t be fighting up-and-comers at this stage in his career. Heck, some feel the former interim UFC lightweight champion shouldn’t be fighting at all anymore.
Dana White Praises Paddy Pimblett vs. Tony Ferguson Booking
UFC CEO Dana White was asked about the response to the matchup during a post-fight press conference for a recent Contender Series card. It’s clear that White thinks it’s a fine piece of matchmaking (h/t Chamatkar Sandhu).
“I think a lot of people think that Paddy is unproven and I think a lot of people feel like this is a fight that Tony isn’t in deep water like he’s been in, in his last several fights,” White said. “I think the matchmaking and the timing on this fight is excellent and couldn’t be more perfect. You know, if you look at Tony’s last few fights that he’s fought, he looked damn good before you know, the Chandler finish. Every fight that he’s fought in the last two or three fights he looked damn good right up until the end. So, it’s a fun, interesting fight with two fun and interesting characters.”
Ferguson will try to snap a six-fight losing streak. He hasn’t won a pro MMA bout since June 2019. As for Pimblett, he’s hoping to extend his winning streak to seven, and keep making his rise as a potential title contender down the line.
Here’s the video of Dana White praising the Paddy Pimblett vs. Tony Ferguson booking:
Dana White on why Tony Ferguson vs. Paddy Pimblett makes sense 👀 pic.twitter.com/nkfW32NQS7
— Chamatkar Sandhu (@SandhuMMA) September 27, 2023
