UFC 256: Ferguson vs. Oliveira betting odds and preview

Tony Ferguson (left) exchanges blows with Aaron Riley during UFC 135. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Icon Sportswire)

December 7th, 2020

With his title hopes derailed, Tony Ferguson (26-4) hopes to get back on track against the streaking Charles Oliveira (29-8) at UFC 256 on Saturday.

The two lightweights will clash in the chief supporting bout for UFC 256, so let's break down this fight and make a pick.

Tony Ferguson vs. Charles Oliveira

Ferguson faces a tough road back

After he got decked by Justin Gaethje in his last fight, Ferguson is doing himself no favors by taking this fight with Oliveira.

Oliveira is on a seven-fight win streak, stopped all seven opponents, and can mix it up standing or on the ground. Ferguson is rightfully the favorite, but he is in for a tough fight against an opponent who can make his life a living hell.

Ferguson is going to keep Oliveira at bay with his footwork. He can’t get too loose on the inside, because Oliveira is going to try to take him down as soon as possible. Ferguson’s experience should help, and he should aim to take this fight the distance.

Oliveira needs an early out

Oliveira works behind a snappy jab and takes an aggressive approach to close the distance and take his opponents down. Ferguson struggles at times with his head movement and has a bad habit of dropping his hands, which led to his demise against Gaethje.

Ferguson hung in there but Justin Gaethje dominates the main event fight and earns the TKO

What a night! #UFC249 pic.twitter.com/Rrvk5xtPQR
— SIDELINE (@SidelineFamily) May 10, 2020

Oliveira should worry about getting caught up in exchanges, because Ferguson is a strong striker. He’ll have to use his athleticism to open Ferguson up and take him to the ground.

But Ferguson is a capable mat technician, so Oliveira cannot storm in and expect to not pay for it. Oliveira also needs to be creative, because Ferguson’s conditioning is second to none. If Oliveira can’t end things early, he’ll struggle late.

El Cucuy will keep his title hopes alive

This should be a titanic struggle between two excellent fighters, but Ferguson should have enough left in the tank to beat Oliveira.

There isn’t anything Oliveira does that Ferguson won’t have an answer for, and Oliveira will get worked over in close quarters if he doesn’t take Ferguson down.

Ferguson will get the win on the cards.

MMA free pick: Ferguson (-180)

Check out the entire UFC 256 card at BetAmerica!

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