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Ben Askren Gives Honest Verdict On Tony Ferguson's Performance At UFC 296: 'Paddy Does Not Seem To Be That Good...'

Originally posted on MMA News | By John Cunningham | Last updated 12/21/23

UFC 296 saw a new low for former 155lbs boogeyman Tony Ferguson.

After Justin Gaethje snapped his 12-fight winning streak with a savage beatdown at UFC 249, 'El Cucuy' has been unable to find another win in the cage. Now 0-7 in his past seven outings, some are calling for Ferguson to pack it in.

Despite the setbacks, it appears 'El Cucuy' remains determined to finally get another win on his record. At 39, he seemingly has no interest in retiring just yet.

"He Couldn't Get Off His Back" - Ben Askren On Tony Ferguson

During a recent interview with James Lynch, former ONE and Bellator Welterweight Champion Ben Askren weighed in on Ferguson's performance against Paddy Pimblett at UFC 296. 'Funky' was quick to point out that, despite his impressive wrestling background, Ferguson failed to utilize any folkstyle techniques on the mat.

"He says he wants to keep fighting, is it a monetary thing where he needs to keep fighting for the money? I don't know," Askren said. "I mean, Paddy does not seem to be that good, he really doesn't, and Tony just like- he couldn't get off his back, I don't know what his plan was. It was like- he is a wrestler, he grew up wrestling, he knows how to get up, that's folkstyle wrestling, but he chose to just be on his back for the entirety of the second and third round, right?"

Askren pointed out that Pimblett has little to no high-level wrestling to contend with yet Ferguson still failed to take him down. Considering his run of bad luck, Askren suggested it is indeed time for Ferguson to hang up the gloves.

"It's like 'Dude, get up,'" Askren said. "Maybe even take him down, Paddy is not an elite wrestler, you should be able to go get a takedown in this dude, make it happen. I think Tony, man, you know, it's kind of- his trajectory was so insane because it was like 13-0 [sic] or whatever the hell was for a while, right? And now's 0-7... It's like 'Ah yeah, you need to be done buddy.'"