"Overtrained to death" - Tony Ferguson's "stupid" hell week training doesn't win opponent Paddy Pimblett's vote of confidence
Paddy Pimblett isn't a fan of Tony Ferguson's new training regime ahead of their fight at UFC 296 in Las Vegas in December. Ferguson has been training with former Navy SEAL David Goggins over the past few weeks and has been sharing videos of his brutal workouts with his fans on social media.
Last weekend, Goggins reported that the former interim lightweight champion had completed 'Hell Week' and was the first to do so without breaking. While many lauded 'El Cucuy' for his impressive resilience and tenacity, many have questioned the rationality of pushing a fighter that hard before a fight.
Paddy Pimblett is among those who don't think completing 'Hell Week' will benefit Tony Ferguson's chances at UFC 296. In a recent interview with Sky Sports, the Liverpudlian discussed his next opponent's training regime and said:
"I think it's crazy. I think it's quite stupid. But if Tony thinks that's what's going to help him, hat's off to you, mate... I just think he's going to be overtrained to death... His body's going to be falling apart. We're only four-and-a-half weeks out from the fight, and he's just done a 'Hell Week... I just don't understand why he's doing it."
Catch Pimblett's comments below (10:30):
Tony Ferguson is on a dismal six-fight losing slide, and another loss would see him tie UFC Hall of Famer B.J. Penn for the longest losing skids (7) ever. Paddy Pimblett is coming off a six-fight win streak, last beating Jared Gordon via unanimous decision at UFC 282.
Paddy Pimblett sees Tony Ferguson fight at UFC 296 as a "lose-lose" situation
Paddy Pimblett sees no upside to defeating Tony Ferguson at UFC 296. The fast-rising UFC lightweight contender weighed in on the importance of beating Ferguson and dismissed the idea that 'El Cucuy' was a significant test for him.
As mentioned, Ferguson is on a six-fight losing slide and hasn't looked like his best version since his devastating loss to Justin Gaethje at UFC 249. His losing slide comes off the back of an incredible 12-fight win streak, a record tied only by Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev.
In a video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Paddy Pimblett opened up about what he thought of the Tony Ferguson fight and said:
"This fight is a lose-lose for me, Tony Ferguson. I don't care what anyone says. It's a lose-lose. He's on a six-fight losing streak. If I win - When I win, I'm just going to be like it's Tony Ferguson. He's finished. He's this. He's that. If I lose... everyone's going to be like, 'You just lost to a finished Tony Ferguson."
Catch Pimblett's comments below (2:38):