Pimblett dominant in return, hands Ferguson 7th straight loss

Rising lightweight Paddy Pimblett came back from a one-year layoff and defeated former interim champion Tony Ferguson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) at UFC 296 on Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Pimblett remained undefeated in the promotion while handing Ferguson his seventh consecutive defeat.

The win over Ferguson was the biggest of Pimblett's young Octagon career. Pimblett hadn't competed since December 2022 and spent most of this year recovering from an ankle injury.

Pimblett said in his postfight interview he was "a bit disappointed" he didn't get the finish over Ferguson but added he faced one of the "toughest motherf-----s" to ever compete in the sport.

The fight was competitive in the opening minutes, with Pimblett and Ferguson landing their share of punches. But Pimblett rocked Ferguson with a knee late in the first round and took over. Pimblett got into full mount and landed huge ground-and-pound shots, almost finishing Ferguson before the end of the frame.

Pimblett got on top of Ferguson early into the second round - due to Ferguson slipping on the canvas - and remained there until the horn, staying busy with ground-and-pound.

At the start of the third, Pimblett appeared to be tired. He said postfight he gassed himself out trying to finish Ferguson earlier in the fight. Ferguson walked forward and clipped Pimblett with a body shot. But Pimblett clinched and secured a takedown. The Liverpool native ground Ferguson out for the rest of the round, fending off a couple of submission attempts and sealing a lopsided decision victory.

Pimblett is now 5-0 in the UFC. The 28-year-old began his UFC stint with three straight finishes but was coming off a controversial decision win over Jared Gordon.

Ferguson, 39, is one of the all-time best lightweights but has fallen off a cliff since 2020, losing seven in a row. "El Cucuy" tied former two-division champion BJ Penn on Saturday night for the most consecutive defeats in UFC history, according to MMA Junkie's Mike Bohn. Ferguson hasn't been victorious since May 2019.