Justin Gaethje vs Tony Ferguson is the main event for UFC 249
Dana White had to move quickly to change the main event at UFC 249, and he decided on an incredible Justin Gaethje vs Tony Ferguson bout.
Khabib Nurmagomedov could not leave Russia and was unable to defend his crown but White had the answer to that.
An interim Lightweight title bout will take place between Gaethje and Ferguson, and the winner ideally placed to land the big shot at Khabib for the undisputed championship.
The match comes up out of the blue as there was talk of Gaethje facing Conor McGregor first. However, White has pulled the rabbit out of the hat, and this is set to be an incredible clash.
Gaethje vs Ferguson preview
The two have never faced off in the Octagon with the new UFC 249 entrant only being six fights old in the promotion.
Gaethje, however, is a former WSOF Lightweight champion, so he knows what it takes to hold a belt and defend it.
Ferguson, for his part, is also a former interim UFC Lightweight champion and has eyed Khabib’s belt for a while.
Form
Gaethje has been on a three-fight winning streak after losing to Eddie Alvarez and Dustin Poirier. The American has beat James Vick, Edson Barboza and Donald Cerrone recently, and is 21-2 in his MMA career.
Ferguson might be 36, and five years older than Gaethje, but he is in the form of his life. The former interim champion is 25-3 in his MMA career and on a 12-fight win streak.
The last time Ferguson lost was in 2012, and he too has beaten top talents such as Cerrone, Kevin Lee and Anthony Pettis.
Prediction
Predicting such UFC fights between top athletes is never easy. Gaethje has a great history in wrestling and can use that to his advantage. However, Ferguson is one of the most explosive and unpredictable fighters on the roster, so you can never rule him out.
Ferguson has also been on an incredible winning streak, and he has been preparing for the fight for a while.
Gaethje, for his part, would not have expected to face Ferguson at such short notice and that could work against him.
It’s not to suggest that Gaethje isn’t ready to hit the Octagon, but preparing for McGregor and then switching to Ferguson is certainly a tough task.
Ferguson will also be frustrated at missing out at Khabib for the fifth time, and might just get the win over Gaethje.
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