Tony Ferguson, Petr Yan to Earn Big Wins at UFC 238

For as incredibly dangerous Tony Ferguson can be, he’s not a perfect fighter by any means. He’s strong, powerful, and attacks from all kinds of crazy angles. These attributes and abilities combined with his incredible pace and pressure make Tony Ferguson a difficult fighter to defeat. However, there are definitely opportunities there for a wise opponent to land heavy shots on his chin, as many have done in the past.

Donald Cerrone is known to be an exciting fighter but he is typically wanting to sit back and engage in a kicking game with his opponent. From range, Cerrone can slam kicks into the head, body, and legs, but he is at his most dangerous when he is able to string combinations of strikes together. He’s become much better in recent fights at stopping an aggressive opponent, using an intercepting knee to crush the mid-section of anyone who tries to advance recklessly against him.

One of the most interesting aspects of this fight overall, however, is not the stand-up but the grappling. Both Cerrone and Ferguson are excellent grapplers with a fine submission base. An unexpected knockdown and some fast scrambles could present unique submission opportunities for either fighter.

Yet, it’s most likely that we won’t even see the grappling at play. Ferguson’s constant pressure should be enough to disallow Cerrone from planting his feet and working his striking over the course of these three rounds. Ferguson’s a terrible matchup for most fighters in the UFC today; unfortunately for “Cowboy,” his style doesn’t fare particularly well against what Ferguson can bring to the table.

Petr Yan’s the favorite as we approach this bantamweight battle at UFC 238. A highly-skilled striker, Yan has walked down his opposition in the UFC and overloaded them with strikes and pressure. Along the way, he’s been clipped by strong punches from Dodson and others, but he’s remained durable and kept up his dominant efforts through all rounds.

In some ways, Rivera does represent the toughest stand-up test that Yan has had to face. Rivera is a skilled outfighter, as well, and his recent record isn’t necessarily indicative of his best performances or potential ability. Rivera failed to let his hands go against Aljamain Sterling and admitted to feeling ‘off’ that night. A similar performance here would see him likely be stopped by the freight train that is Petr Yan, however, an improved effort could see him stick with Yan and make this a competitive battle. Unfortunately, that’s an uncertainty that we’re wanting to stay clear of, and instead, we’ll back Yan to win, as he should do so decisively.

Saturday, June 8 – 9:00 pm (ET) /  1:00am (GMT)

Tai Tuivasa’s undefeated streak came to an end at UFC Fight Night 142 in December last year when he was stopped by Junior dos Santos in the second round in Adelaide, Australia. Tuivasa stepped into the cage that night as a 10-0 professional who had managed nine stoppage victories in his ten wins. He’s now 3-1 in the UFC with previous wins over Andrei Arlovski, Rashad Coulter, and Cyril Asker.

At UFC 238, Tuivasa will be facing Blagoy Ivanov, another heavyweight who has recently suffered defeat against Junior dos Santos. Ivanov lost to dos Santos in July last year before bouncing back with a win over Ben Rothwell at UFC on ESPN+ 4 in March. He’ll enter UFC 238 with a professional record of 17-2.