"Dana wants his boy to shine" - Fans suggest foul play against Tony Ferguson to escalate Paddy Pimblett

Dana White recently announced that a Tony Ferguson vs. Paddy Pimblett lightweight contest had been added to an already stacked UFC 296 card in December.

The UFC CEO took to social media to confirm the matchup and added that a Stephen Thompson vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov welterweight fight will also feature on 2023's last pay-per-view event.

While 'El Cucuy' was once considered among the most dangerous 155-pounders in the UFC thanks to his incredible 12-fight win streak from 2013-2019, the past few years haven't been kind to him. Ferguson is currently on a six-fight losing streak, and the 39-year-old is undeniably past his prime.

While fans are still excited to see a Tony Ferguson fight, many are seriously concerned about the former interim lightweight champion's chances against Paddy Pimblett. After @espnmma posted the fight news on X, many fans shared their reactions in the comments section.

One fan claimed the UFC is trying to end Ferguson's career and wrote:

"They taking Tony out to the pasture."

Another fan joked about the promotion "protecting" Pimblett and wrote:

"They're protecting their little piglet by offering him dinosaurs."

One user wrote:

"Uncle Dana paying Tony to take a nose dive."

Check out some more reactions below:

Screenshots from @espnmma on X

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Tony Ferguson vs. Paddy Pimblett: Josh Thompson urges 'El Cucuy' to call it a career

Former UFC lightweight contender Josh Thompson recently broke down Tony Ferguson's recent string of losses and begged 'El Cucuy' to hang up his gloves.

As mentioned, Tony Ferguson has not been at his best over the past few years and is on a six-fight losing streak. Ferguson's dismal run of form seems to have started after his devastating TKO loss against Justin Gaethje at UFC 249 in May 2020.

After that loss, Ferguson dropped two consecutive decisions against Charles Oliveira and Beneil Dariush before suffering a brutal front-kick knockout against Michael Chandler at UFC 274. 'El Cucuy' then faced Nate Diaz on short notice in a welterweight bout at UFC 279, ultimately getting submitted in the fourth round.

Tony Ferguson last faced Bobby Green at UFC 291 and lost a third-round technical submission. During an episode of the Weighing In Xtra podcast, Josh Thompson warned Ferguson against pushing himself to stay active and said:

"I’m saying this directly to Tony, is that you’re going to notice things in your brain... You need to have a reality check... You’re going to notice things in the way you talk to people... I get nervous for him, watching him take these Ls. I become a little emotional; it’s a little f***ed up, but I care for the guy."

Catch Thompson's comments below (4:40):