From Manchester to Abu Dhabi, the UFC Octagon returns to the Etihad Arena. Headlined by a bantamweight banger and featuring a number of PPV-worthy bouts, the card is guaranteed to deliver.
A fight that’s going under the radar, however, is a welterweight clash between Tony Ferguson and Michael Chiesa.
Both men are in a sticky situation, with a combined record of 0-10 in their most recent 10 fights. El Cucuy has been without a win since 2019 and Chiesa hasn’t had his hand raised since 2021. One man will finally snap his losing streak… but who will it be?
Ferguson’s Torrid Time
At one point in time, Ferguson was one of the most feared men in the world of MMA. With a slick ground game, relentless cardio and razor-sharp elbows, many a man feared him. A winning streak of 12, including nine finishes saw him capture the interim lightweight title and comeback from multiple injuries to put on some legendary performances.
LAS VEGAS, NV – OCTOBER 06: Tony Ferguson looks on while competing against Anthony Pettis in their lightweight bout during the UFC 229 event inside T-Mobile Arena on October 6, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
His interim title bout with Justin Gaethje was the beginning of an extremely unwanted streak, however. The beating that he took in that fight appeared to have changed him, possibly for life. He suffered a fifth-round TKO loss which would certainly take away some of his aura. Since then, losses to Charles Oliveria, Michael Chandler, Beneil Daruish, Nate Diaz, Bobby Green and most recently, Paddy Pimblett have seen him tie BJ Penn’s seven straight losses.
He’s mixed it up between lightweight and welterweight and has still struggled to reclaim his lost form. Could Abu Dhabi be the place where Ferguson finds his lost form?
Similar Case in the Opposing Corner
Michael Chiesa, at one time, looked like a legitimate lightweight contender. Having won Season 15 of The Ultimate Fighter, Chiesa entered the UFC with a lot of hype.
Unfortunately for him, however, he never quite lived up to expectations. He would start his UFC career with a 3-2 record, being finished twice. Winning his next three straight, he set up a main event slot against Kevin Lee. He controversially lost this one, however, would go on to lose his next outing against former champion, Anthony Pettis.
A move up in weight seemed to have rejuvenated his career. Notching four straight with wins over Carlos Condit, Diego Sanchez, Rafael dos Anjos and Neil Magny, he was moving closer to a title shot with every performance.
He then ran into Vicente Luque, the finishing machine, where he would suffer a submission loss. Next came a pair of losses to Sean Brady and Kevin Holland.
Worryingly for Chiesa, he doesn’t seem to be plugging the hole in his game. Of his seven losses, five have come via submission and yet, he hasn’t seemed to improve in that area.
He has taken over a year out, so only time will tell if he’s improved on the ground.
Someone’s losing streak has got to be snapped… let us know who you think will win in the comments.
