UFC 249: Can Justin Gaethje defeat Tony Ferguson in blockbuster clash?

Justin Gaethje was officially roped in for the interim lightweight title fight against Tony Ferguson earlier this week. He is now set to headline the main event of UFC 249 on April 18. Earlier staged to be a lightweight title bout, UFC 249 saw a different fate with Khabib Nurmagomedov’s sudden exit from the fight card. However, No. 4-ranked lightweight contender Justin Gaethje has saved the day for UFC fans by offering his name to fight against Tony Ferguson for the interim lightweight title. A major portion of the MMA fanbase believes it will be a one-sided contest as Tony Ferguson is currently on a 12-fight win streak, but, Justin Gaethje is also on a three-fight win streak and he could pose a serious threat inside the cage.

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UFC 249  Justin Gaethje vs Tony Ferguson: Can Justin Gaethje defeat Tony Ferguson?

Justin Gaethje is arguably one of the most dangerous strikers in the lightweight division. In 2017, Justin Gaethje knocked out Michael Johnson in one of the biggest fights of his UFC career. Michael Johnson is the only fighter who has defeated Tony Ferguson in the UFC and Justin Gaethje’s victory over Johnson could give hope to Gaethje's fans ahead of UFC 249.

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However, MMA is not a sport where calculations work too often. Tony Ferguson is still considered to be the ‘favourite’ in the fight. After accepting the fight opposite Tony Ferguson, Justin Gaethje said that he is ready to unleash everything he has and he expects it to be a ‘war’ at the UFC 249 main event. According to Justin Gaethje’s recent tweet, however, he is terrified of the fight, but he loves it.

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(Image courtesy: UFC.com)