UFC Lightweight bout: Yves Edwards vs. Tony Ferguson
Odds: (+260 Edwards /-340 Ferguson )
Betting Pick: Ferguson
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In a featured Lightweight matchup, long-time veteran Yves Edwards will face tough boxer and Ultimate Fighter winner Tony “El Cucuy” Ferguson, who is riding a 5 fight win streak. Both of these guys like to stand and trade shots and both of them have serious knockout power, so this should be an extremely exciting affair. Ferguson is young and has looked dominant recently, but Edwards is a very talented veteran with extremely dynamic and unorthodox striking, so this is going to be a tough challenge for the young boxer.
Tony “El Cucuy” Ferguson was the Lightweight champion of Season 13 of The Ultimate Fighter. An extremely tough and technically proficient boxer, Ferguson has solid technique, a good chin, and a lot of knockout power in his hands. He doesn’t have much in the way of takedown defense or a ground game, but he has won 5 consecutive fights with stoppages on strikes and against Edwards it is unlikely he is going to have to avoid takedowns anyway. This is most likely going to be a kickboxing match and Ferguson has the technique and the punching power to give Edwards serious problems in that kind of fight.
Yves Edwards, the self-proclaimed master of Thug-Jitsu, is a long-time veteran who will be competing in his 60th fight as a professional. Edwards is a very effective striker who can end fights with punches or kicks and who actually has very good submissions as well. It is rare that Edwards tries to take an opponent down despite his solid grappling, preferring to try and knock them out. His striking is quick, accurate, unorthodox, powerful, and hard to defend against. He is known for flashy strikes, but he is fundamentally very sound as well.
This should be an extremely entertaining bout. Any time you put two skilled strikers with knockout power together it is going to be exciting, especially in the Lightweight division where the speed and athleticism are so impressive. Edwards is more dynamic and has great kicks as well as punches, but Ferguson is younger, stronger, and a more proficient pure boxer. In the end I think the edge goes to Ferguson, who is the more compact puncher and who is younger and fresher. Edwards has been around the block and is always a danger, but Ferguson hits hard and has the more solid chin, which should allow him to earn the T/KO victory.
Prediction: Tony Ferguson via second round T/KO.
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