"His striking can look quite reckless" - Former UFC fighter claims Paddy Pimblett will adopt different strategy for Tony Ferguson clash at UFC 296

Former UFC fighter Dan Hardy believes fans are going to see an entirely new Paddy Pimblett when he faces Tony Ferguson at UFC 296.

'The Baddy' returns to the octagon this weekend almost a year to the day that he controversially defeated Jared Gordon via unanimous decision in 2022. Although he picked up the win on the night, the Liverpudlian suffered an ankle injury during the first round that required surgery and put him out of action for a number of months.

Pimblett's return opponent is 'El Cucuy', who is at a crossroads in his career. The former interim lightweight champion, once considered one of the all time greats at 155 pounds, is now pushing the age of 40 and has suffered six straight losses in the octagon.

While some fans have criticized the matchmaking for 'feeding' Pimblett an aging fighter, Dan Hardy believes it's going to be a competitive bout.

Speaking in a recent interview with Submission Radio, 'The Outlaw' outlined Paddy Pimblett's strategy heading into the fight, stating that he expects to see an entirely new Pimblett with a more refined gameplan. He said:

"I think we'll see an evolved striking skillset from Paddy in this one. I think he's going to respect the ground game of Tony Ferguson, as well as the toughness... I feel like although Paddy, his striking can look quite reckless, I know it's something he's working hard on because that's the area people want to challenge him. I think he's going to be confident he's going to be faster than Tony."

Catch Hardy's comments here (26:00):

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Paddy Pimblett weighs in on Tony Ferguson's UFC 296 fight preparation

Paddy Pimblett has criticized Tony Ferguson's preparation for UFC 296, believing that the 39-year-old has worked on areas that he didn't need to focus on.

Following a sixth straight loss at the hands of Bobby Green, Ferguson has enlisted the help of former US Navy SEAL David Goggins. 'El Cucuy' has been put through a rigorous training program by Goggins, which is meant to help improve both cardio and mental strength.

Speaking in a recent interview on the Energized Show on YouTube, 'The Baddy' disapproved of Ferguson's trainig methods and stated that his 'brain' is not what it used to be. He said:

"If there's two things Tony's never needed help with it's his mental state [and cardio]. So I don't know why he's [training with Goggins]... That beatdown from Gaethje changed his whole career, and then getting knocked out by Chandler in the way that he did, his brain is not the same as it once was three or four years ago."

Catch Paddy Pimblett's comments here (14:00):