Welterweights
Michael Chiesa (16-7, 11-7 UFC) vs. Tony Ferguson (25-10, 15-8 UFC)Ferguson is back once again. That was once cause for celebration, as “El Cucuy” used to be one of the most electric fighters in the sport, stringing together 12 straight wins to establish himself as one of the best lightweights in the world. However, Ferguson had horrible timing in terms of ever getting the undisputed title shot that he richly deserved. The inactivity of Conor McGregor gummed up the works at the top of the division, and a potential matchup with Khabib Nurmagomedov might be the most cursed pairing in mixed martial arts history, falling apart a half a dozen times due to various mishaps and injuries. Ferguson always had a style highly dependent on his athleticism, so he figured to have a rough back end of his career, but it’s still shocking to see exactly how badly things have gone. A 2020 loss to Justin Gaethje has kicked off a seven-fight losing streak in which Ferguson has quickly faded out of fights, including an ugly loss to Paddy Pimblett in December that didn’t do much for either man. Ferguson wants to keep fighting even with those results, and with the UFC willing to keep him under contract and trade on his name value, he makes another trip to the Octagon looking for a win, this time against Chiesa.
These two were initially slated to lock horns in a 2016 main event before Chiesa pulled out due to injury. The good news is that Ferguson at least won’t be cutting much weight for this one, as Chiesa has since moved up to 170 pounds. A streaky grappling specialist as a lightweight, Chiesa found a ton of success early on in his move up to welterweight. He was a much more effective physical force without draining himself through a weight cut, and he impressively bullied his opponents to kick off his welterweight career with four straight wins. However, “The Maverick” hit a clear ceiling in his last three fights. Sean Brady was simply the stronger wrestler, while Vicente Luque and Kevin Holland were each able to take advantage of some defensive lapses and catch Chiesa in a brabo choke. Chiesa seems to be nearing the end of the road himself, as he hasn’t been particularly active while picking up some obligations as a broadcaster, but he should be able to out-wrestle this version of Ferguson in a grind. The pick is Chiesa via decision.
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Sandhagen vs. Nurmagomedov
Magomedov vs. Oleksiejczuk
Figueiredo vs. Vera
Chiesa vs. Ferguson
Dern vs. Godinez
Alvarez vs. Brener
The Prelims