Li Looking Lethal
Tony Ferguson has been a top-level fighter since his Ultimate Fighter days, but he faces another career-defining moment on Saturday.
The American faces -310 UFC betting favorite Li Jingliang, who is a knockout artist and could send Ferguson into early retirement.
The UFC 279 co-main event is likely to get the crowd rocking.
Check the latest UFC picks, stats, injury reports, and UFC 279 odds for Jingliang vs Ferguson. There are plenty of UFC predictions for you to consider.
Money with Favorite
It could be tough to bet against Li, who was dominant when knocking out Muslim Salikhov and it demonstrated his power.
The 19-7 fighter lives and dies with his power, and although he has been beaten seven times, he’s one of the more dangerous fighters in the welterweight division.
His only recent loss came to Khamzet Chimaev, who no fighter wants to take on. He was submitted in the opening round, but facing Ferguson is a much different and much easier task.
As the sportsbook suggests, Li has been more impressive recently. He doesn’t have the same credentials as Ferguson, but at this stage of their respective careers, Li is the fighter with much more upside.
Ferguson Searching for Answers
Ferguson hasn’t been the same fighter he used to be and we think he’s at the end of his career.
The 38-year-old is a former champion, but having lost his last four fights, it’s not a good sign for the Californian.
He lost a decision to Beneil Dariush last year, which followed losses to Justin Gaethje and Charles Oliveira. He hasn’t been facing easy opponents, but he hasn’t done enough to suggest to can beat Li as the +230 UFC odds underdog.
Going up in weight was an interesting move and it’s not one Daniel Cormier believes will work.
“I want to see something positive. I want to see something change,” Cormier told BJPenn.com.
“Here’s the issue for me: When you get knocked out at 155 by Michael Chandler, when you get TKO’d at 155 by Justin Gaethje when you get dominated by Beneil (Dariush) and Charles Oliveira at 155, it would not seem like going up to welterweight would be the move.”
Ferguson needs to turn back time and find his aggressiveness, otherwise, it could be a short night.
Jingliang vs Ferguson Head-to-Head
It’s the first fight between Li and Ferguson.
Jingliang vs Ferguson Fight Information
- Game: Jingliang (19-7) vs Ferguson (26-7)
- Location: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas
- Day/Time: Saturday, Sep 10, 9:00 p.m. ET
- Li vs Ferguson Live stream: UFC Fight Pass
Jingliang vs Ferguson Betting Lines
| Team | Moneyline | Total |
| Tony Ferguson | +230 | 2½ Evo |
| Jingliang Li | -310 | 2½ -130u |
Jingliang vs Ferguson Prediction
It’s never easy to take short-priced favorites in the UFC but we’re taking Li to win at -310. However, there is value in prop bets markets.
We fancy Li to end the fight early and it pays +110 with betting online markets, so it’s worth locking in for the favorite.
Ferguson is facing a bigger opponent than he’s used to and it’s not like Li is a slow-moving welterweight. That could spell disaster for Ferguson, who is desperate to prolong his floundering career.
