Charles Oliveira to Beat Tony Ferguson at UFC 256: Prediction

Without a doubt the biggest mixed martial event taking place in December will be UFC 256 (Dec. 12), and the promotion has saved a prestigious pair of main events for its last major card of 2020. Flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo will be back to defend his belt for the second time in less than a month against Brandon Moreno, but the co-main featuring Tony Ferguson and Charles Oliveira is very arguably the biggest draw of the evening.

Charles Oliveira vs. Tony Ferguson Odds & Prediction via Sugarhouse NJ.

Ferguson (25-4) opened the betting as a -150 moneyline favorite with Sugarhouse New Jersey, but after a humbling stoppage loss to Justin Gaethje in May, there’s a very good chance “El Cucuy” could suffer back-to-back defeats for the first time in his career when he faces +120 underdog Oliveira:

“Do Bronx” (29-8) is hot property in the UFC after winning seven in a row (five submissions, two knockouts), most recently submitting Kevin Lee in March. Ferguson will represent a significant step up from any competition he’s faced to date, but at 36 years of age, there are sure to be doubts about whether we may be witnessing the start of El Cucuy’s decline at lightweight.

Oliveira is five years his junior and very much in his prime, evidenced by the constant improvement he’s displayed over the past three years and a ridiculous finishing rate. Ferguson has been submitted once before in his career back in October 2009, but the two Brazilian jiu jitsu black belts could cancel one another out if things move to the ground. 

We won’t know until the fight just how Ferguson’s loss to Gaethje has affected him and his preparation, but Oliveira is a rising threat well worth a look at +120 odds.