UFC legend and arguably one of the best lightweights in the UFC, Tony Ferguson, finally closed the curtains on his long career with the promotion after suffering eight straight losses.
The fighter’s descent began when he faced Justin Gaethje in an interim lightweight title bout and lost. After that, Ferguson went on to lose seven more fights, his latest being against Michael Chiesa. Despite his recent losses, he says he is still optimistic and is trying his hand at boxing as he is set to face Salt Papi at Misfits Boxing 22.
Ferguson understands that his past losses were his fault and that he could have performed better. However, he is excited about the new opportunity to delve into boxing and the possibility of coaching The Ultimate Fighter.
“I’m fighting these guys, like a bunch of puds, they weren’t around for the longest fcking time on my tear,” Ferguson told MMA Fighting. “Because they didn’t want to fcking get bloody or have me wear their blood while I’m smiling and shit like that.
“When I was fighting these guys, it’s kind of like I was doing it for the fan base and to be like, yeah, I’m taking these opportunities, I’m not going to let them ice the kicker. I’m going to take these opportunities. I didn’t get cut from the UFC. We both [shook hands] and we both walked away.”
“I was trying to get Khabib [Nurmagomedov]. I said to my wife, we’re going to take these fights, and what we’re going to do is put some film out there so that way Khabib takes the bait,” Ferguson explained. “He’s going to want to take the bait. That was when Conor McNuggets [McGregor] and [Michael] Chandler ended up coaching against each other.
“Because I put that feeler out there for me and Khabib to go and coach on The Ultimate Fighter. We had signed agreements with the UFC, we had signed with Ali [Abdelaziz] and everybody else, and that was the time he didn’t go and corner his cousin. So he had a lot of extra shit that was going on. Other than that, the interest has never been there.”
Ferguson has heard all the cries that he’s past his prime, washed up, and nowhere near the same fighter he was a few years ago. As much as he claims that doesn’t bother him, Ferguson is also fired up to go back out there and show what he’s still capable of doing. Boxing is offering him a fresh start, but that doesn’t mean he’s done with MMA either.
“I don’t give a fck what anybody thinks about me,” Ferguson said. “‘[Is] Tony Ferguson in his prime?’ I don’t give a fck. The interest is there right now. It doesn’t matter who the fck is going to step in front of me. You could put anybody in front of me come that night. I’m going to go in there and give the best possible version of myself that I possibly can because I’m uncomfortable in practice right now. The last four to five years, I’ve been comfortable in practice. I’ve been miserable in the fight because I just didn’t want to fcking do it. I’m uncomfortable in practice right now, getting rounds and making myself feel that way so that when I get inside that ring, I’m going to be comfortable as f*ck.
“If it interests me, I’m going to go in there, and I’m going to do it. I’m that kind of guy that has that kind of talent to be able to pick it up because that’s the way my parents raised me. If I’m going to pick up and do something, you better do it to the f*cking best that you could.”
After leaving the UFC, Ferguson signed a deal to join the roster at the now-defunct Global Fight League, where he was matched up with grappling champion and noted trash talker Dillon Danis but the fight never fruition.
