Preview: UFC 249 ‘Ferguson vs. Gaethje’

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Heavyweights

Greg Hardy (5-2) vs. Yorgan De Castro (6-0)

ODDS: Hardy (-200), De Castro (+170)

The UFC’s grand experiment continues. Kicked out of the NFL once his production was no longer worth the domestic violence issues off the field, Hardy found his way into the loving arms of the UFC, which was more than willing to promote him despite his notoriety. He has not moved the needle much at all at the box office, but he has improved as a fighter, even if he is clearly a frontrunner who checks out once he cannot put away his opponent. After stepping in on late notice against Alexander Volkov and getting picked apart for three rounds, Hardy is back to being given winnable fights, this time against Cabo Verde’s De Castro.

Fighting out of Massachusetts, De Castro’s stocky frame is not particularly imposing, but he is capable of some shocking bits of violence, like his brutal knockout of Justin Tafa in his UFC debut in 2019. De Castro looks to be the type of opponent who will stay composed against Hardy, and given his preference to take his time and fight from the outside, this could be an ugly affair.

This should be similar to Hardy’s fight against Ben Sosoli—a fighter where Hardy managed to use his physical gifts to stay out of danger and coast once Sosoli was not easily finished. Though De Castro does have an avenue to victory if he can get a surprisingly powerful leg kick game going, the pick is Hardy via lackluster decision.

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