Tony Ferguson vs. Michael Chandler
UFC: Saturday, May 7th at 10:00 PM ET
The Line: -- Tony Ferguson +290 / Michael Chandler -380 Click Here for the Latest Odds
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Michael Chandler and Tony Ferguson face off on Saturday in a main card showdown in a lightweight battle at UFC 274 at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona.
Michael “iron” Chandler comes into this fight with a 22-7 record overall but he has lost two fights in a row. Three fights ago against Dan Hooker, Chandler was quite impressive winning by knockout halfway through the first round. Two fights ago against Charles Oliveira, he was fighting pretty well, but midway through the second round he was hit by a big shot and ended up losing by knockout. Chandler’s last fight came against Justin Gaethje and he was competitive in that fight, but was outstruck 116-103 and ended up losing by unanimous decision. Chandler is averaging 5.17 significant strikes per minute while absorbing 4.98 significant strikes per minute.
On the other side of this matchup is Tony Ferguson who sits with a 26-6 record overall. Ferguson has had quite the UFC career but it looks like he might be on his way out after losing three straight fights. Ferguson’s last fight came against Beneil Dariush in May of 2021 and he was taken down three times in that fight, and that led to his defeat. Ferguson is averaging 5.15 significant strikes per minute while absorbing 3.78 significant strikes per minute. Ferguson is averaging 0.42 takedowns every 15 minutes and he is successful on 42 percent of takedown attempts. He also stops 67 percent of his opponent's takedown attempts. Ferguson is averaging 1.1 submission attempts every 15 minutes.
There is so much on the line for both fighters in this fight. Chandler is only a few wins away from getting another title shot, while this might be Ferguson’s last fight in the UFC if he were defeated. Chandler is a fighter who is averaging 5.17 significant strikes per minute, and that type of pressure is going to be too much. Ferguson is a warrior and won’t be finished, but he isn’t going to win this fight. Back Chandler by decision. This is one of my favorite picks on the entire fight card.