UFC 229: Tony Ferguson v Anthony Pettis Being Overlooked?

UFC 229: Tony Ferguson v Anthony Pettis Being Overlooked?

By Dan McConnell

The most anticipated fight on the year between Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov throws down this Saturday night inside the UFC’s octagon. The fight hype, bad-blood storyline, McGregor’s return and wrestler v striker narratives are what add fuel to the fire. But are we really overlooking the co-main event?

When Tony Ferguson and Anthony Pettis was first reported to feature on this card it is one that stood out as a potential fight of the night contender to me. There are a lot of interesting storylines between the two heading into this contest and this is what makes the fight between the lightweights even more intriguing. As co-main event this fight perfectly fits as a possible number one contender for the 155-pound title which features later on the night.

Tony Ferguson holds a professional MMA record of 23-3 while currently riding a 10-fight win streak defeating tough opponents in Edson Barbosa, Rafael Dos Anjos and most recently Kevin Lee.

While Pettis 21-7 looks to find his best form and make another run to reclaim his former title. As they say styles makes fights, Ferguson one of the most entertaining and unorthodox fighter in the companies’ history. Holding a black belt in Jiu Jitsu under Eddie Bravo at 10th Planet, his unorthodox strikes, grappling techniques added to his wacky personality make ‘El Cucuy’ a dangerous opponent to face.

‘Showtime’ Pettis holds his own with a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Taekwondo under esteemed coach Duke Roufus. Pettis needs to rack up a few wins to legitimise his ranking in the lightweight division but no doubt can knock-out any opponent unexpectingly seen in the famous ‘Showtime kick’.

For me this is a huge fight for Ferguson to turn his attention back to the 155-pound title once again. The former interim lightweight champion was scheduled to face off against Khabib earlier this year to unify the division but was pulled from the bout due to injury. This is the fourth time a fight between the two has been cancelled which adds to the question will we ever see these two square off inside the octagon?

It is the McGregor, Khabib and Ferguson trio who will be the conversation this upcoming fight week and on Saturday night. All three have had a war of words in the past and have created a side storyline for UFC 229 this weekend in Las Vegas. Of course the bitter rivalry between Conor and Khabib will be the star attraction but don’t forget to throw Ferguson’s name into the mix. There really is no one like Tony Ferguson in the world of mixed martial arts he certainly has his critics but no doubt is an entertaining attraction and fighter who puts on a show for fight fans. The same goes for Pettis who seems to be overlooked in the division because of his recent patchy record.

The one thing we do know is this fight will be an absolute war and excellent warm up for the main-event. I can’t remember the last time I was as excited for a co-main event to a UFC card, especially one featuring ‘The Notorious’ Conor McGregor.