"There was some extra eating involved" - Will Paddy Pimblett's recent wedding affect fight against Tony Ferguson? Josh Thomson answers
UFC lightweight sensation Paddy Pimblett will take on former interim champion Tony Ferguson in his next fight at the closing pay-per-view of the year, UFC 296.
Former UFC lightweight Josh Thomson spoke about the matchup on his podcast Weighin In alongside former referee John McCarthy. Thomson mentioned two things that may impact Paddy Pimblett's return to the octagon after a year.
Thomson spoke about 'The Baddy's' controversial win against Jared Gordon at UFC 282 in his last outing and his recent marriage to Laura Pimblett:
“I gotta be honest, if I see, Paddy’s coming off of not so great performance. Two is, he just got married. That means there was some extra eating involved, there was a honeymoon, there was you know, some extra stuff, extra drinking all that other stuff. Whatever it was, anyways.”
Thomson did, however, also voice his concern about Tony Ferguson's waning physical condition:
“Look, Tony is not what he was. What concerns me though is that the physical strength at the age that Tony’s at and the damage that he’s taken, it’s the physical strength, can he take the shots that Paddy will give him on the feet? Paddy’s got the strength to really, really drive it home. But Tony’s physical strength, he’s not a strong guy. He was able to maneuvre himself out of positions with some of his flexibility, his awkward style of grappling... He can’t do it anymore.”
Check out his comments below [58:17]:
Tony Ferguson vs. Paddy Pimblett: Henry Cejudo warns 'The Baddy' of losing to 'El Cucuy'
Former UFC flyweight and bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo also weighed in on the upcoming lightweight matchup between Paddy Pimblett and Tony Ferguson.
Cejudo questioned the matchup and outlined the risk to the UFC if Paddy Pimblett loses his the bout after a four-fight undefeated run in the octagon. 'Triple C' also stated that Ferguson is being underrated by many due to his abysmal six-fight losing skid:
"If Paddy 'The Baddy' loses to Tony Ferguson, does he lose a lot of that hype train? Stylistically, this fight, it’s a freestyle fight. I think the UFC could probably shoot themselves in the foot on this one. I really do. I think Tony Ferguson is a way tougher matchup than what people actually think. So I’m not sure what the UFC is planning on kind of pulling here because if Paddy 'The Baddy' does end up losing, they lose one of their great white hopes.”
Check out Cejudo's full comments below: