MMA Preview – Tony Ferguson vs Charles Oliveira at UFC 256
TONY FERGUSON VS CHARLES OLIVEIRA FACTS
When is UFC 256? Sunday 13th December, 2020 - 01:00 start (UK)
Where is UFC 256? UFC APEX, Las Vegas, Nevada (US)
Where can I get tickets for UFC 256? No tickets are available as this event will take place without spectators
What channel is UFC 256 on? BT Sport 1
Where can I stream UFC 256? BT Sport subscribers can stream the fight online via the BT Sport website
For viewers in the United States, the event will be shown live on ESPN+ and you can sign up for access as part of a Disney Bundle here!
TONY FERGUSON VS CHARLES OLIVEIRA LOWDOWN
We have seen Tony ‘El Cucuy’ Ferguson (25-4) take some damage over the years, but Justin Gaethje dished out a beatdown no one was quite expecting back at UFC 249. Gaethje snapped Ferguson’s record breaking 12-fight win streak to deny him his long-awaited shot against Khabib Nurmagomedov and it seems we will never get to see that fight. It was surprising to see Ferguson lose the way he did, but it would be more surprising to him lose his confidence and tenacity.
Charles ‘Do Bronx’ Oliveira (29-8(1)) is the man assigned for his comeback and what an opponent he is. He is a veteran with the most finishes and submissions in UFC history and has never looked better riding a seven-fight win streak with two knockouts and five submissions. His most recent victim was Kevin Lee who he guillotined in the third round back in March to finally earn a top contender.
TONY FERGUSON VS CHARLES OLIVEIRA PREDICTION
These guys are two of the most entertaining fighters in the UFC and have 28 performance bonuses between them to prove it. Seven of Oliveira’s 17 UFC wins were at featherweight and since his move back up to lightweight in 2017 he continued his domination on the mat but has also displayed some knockout power recently.
Ferguson is a lunatic in the cage and he will not be deterred by Oliveira’s grappling skills or sniping power in the slightest. He will be happy to spark scrambles and tussle on the ground as well as engage in an unorthodox brawl where he is most confident.
Ferguson did get a beating in his last fight, but Oliveira has nowhere near the same power as Gaethje although very few lightweights do. So, if ‘Do Bronx’ tries to slug it out with Ferguson, he will make it a war but may get a painful reminder of how ‘El Cucuy’ became one of the most feared fighters in the division.
Oliveira has to try and get the fight to the ground and let’s hope he does because Ferguson is also a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He is not quite on the same level as Oliveira, but he has the awkwardness and aggressiveness to make it an epic scrap on the ground.
Oliveira has every chance of another submission if he can lock Ferguson down, but Ferguson is good enough to scramble out of the takedown attempts to keep the fight on the feet and slice Oliveira up with an onslaught of punches, knees, elbows and kicks. In a five rounder, a finish would be likely, but we could see a three-round war with Ferguson coming out on top.
Prediction: Ferguson via Decision
