Venue: Toyota Center
The highly anticipated UFC 262 tournament will take place on May 16 in Houston (USA). In the co-main event, Tony Ferguson (No. 5 in the official rankings) will fight Iranian fighter Beneil Dariush (No. 9 in the official rankings). The bout will take place in the lightweight division.
Tony Ferguson: He’ll either rise like the Phoenix or hit another bottom
What is the condition of the American now? His last two fights were very sad, but on one hand, they were the top competitors, on the other hand, he must make some conclusions if he wants to get back.
Beneil Dariush: His form is at its peak
The boy is on a six-game winning streak, but all his opponents are certainly no match for the American:
- Diego Ferreira, win by the split decision;
- Scott Holtzman, knockout win;
- Drakkar Klose, win by knockout;
- Frank Camacho, win by submission;
- Drew Dober, win by submission;
- Thiago Moises, unanimous decision win.
I’ll say this, I’ll be even crazier in the octagon than Ferguson. I used to joke about it, but not anymore. His behaviour during the fight is very exciting. He improvises a lot of things during the fight and it’s very hard to prepare for him because you never know what he is going to do. That makes me very interested and motivated.
Beneil Dariush
Expert Betting Tips
Tony may not be as good against the top fighters anymore, but Dariush, even if he wanted to, can’t be counted among the elite. The main argument that points in his favor is that he’s now at his peak, while Ferguson is going downhill.
Dariush will lose in a stance fight, but he’ll need a chance to get him to the ground. What Oliveira has done, it’s not certain that anyone else will be able to do.
Ferguson is extremely motivated, he’s training with Freddy Roach, he’s thinking about jiu-jitsu (thanks to Oliveira). His unconventional punching has gone nowhere, just as his endless gas tank has gone nowhere. And there’s nothing to say about his character and willpower.
We suggest you bet on Ferguson’s victory for 2.24.