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UFC fighters and writers are split on who wins the upcoming main event matchup between 155-pound mercenaries Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethje.
UFC 249: Ferguson vs. Gaethje takes place on Saturday, May 9 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. The action will be streamed live via ESPN+ pay-per-view.
But who wins the big fight? Here’s a bunch of UFC 249: Ferguson vs. Gaethje predictions for you to consider before making your own pick.
Watch theScore’s UFC Pros Pick Ferguson vs. Gaethje
One of the best video assets put together for UFC 249 was done by theScore. Their MMA crew asked 16 professional MMA fighters who they were picking between Ferguson vs. Gaethje this weekend, and the results were that six picked Ferguson, five went with Gaethje and the rest were undecided.
Among those picking Ferguson were former UFC middleweight champion Vitor Belfort.
“He’s just very complete fighter…the other kid is tough, man, he’s a brawler man, I tip my hat for that kid, man. Gaethje is tough. But I think [Ferguson] he’s more pace, more…you know.”
ONE Championship’s current heavyweight champ and former UFC fighter Brandon Vera agreed with Belfort, saying that Ferguson was just “a different kind of machine”.
Vera likes Ferguson in a big way.
“I think it’s going to be Tony by mauling,” Vera added. “And when I say mauling, I’m not saying disrespectful like a bear mauling just taking advantage of your opponent. I’m talking about Tony just being stuck to the guy and not letting go of him and just being all over him from every position. That’s what I think it’s going to be.”
Still, there were also plenty of people who like Gaethje to pull the upset, and former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez was among them.
“I think Justin can knock Tony out. I really do,” Alvarez said. “I think he has the style to put Tony away.”
Still, it seems like just as many UFC fighters couldn’t make up their mind about it. UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic expects some real fireworks at UFC 249 but couldn’t pick a winner.
“They’re both amazing fighters,” Miocic said. “You know Gaethje is tough too, he brings every time. So is Ferguson. Ferguson is very awkward. Styles make matchups too so you never know what’s going to happen. I think it might be Fight of the Year.”
You can watch the rest of the fighters make their predictions below.
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Bleacher Report’s Combat Sports Crew Split 2-1
Bleacher Report’s MMA crew was split two votes to one in Ferguson’s favor. Both Jonathan Snowden and I picked Ferguson by submission. Snowden indicated Ferguson’s past success against elite competition was what tilted the writer toward picking “El Cucuy”.
Meanwhile, Scott Harris said he expects Gaethje to score the epic knockout victory on Saturday night.
“When the dust settles, Nurmagomedov will have a new challenger,” Harris said.
You can read the entire UFC 249 main card predictions piece over at Bleacher Report.
Watch Real Talk with Kelsey and Rachel’s UFC 249 Prediction
Finally, you can watch the Real Talk with Kelsey and Rachel UFC 249 prediction show. In this episode, I go into more detail about why I’m picking Ferguson to beat Gaethje this weekend, and Rachel explains the reasoning behind her pick, too.
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Twitter: @Kelsey_McCarson