"You gotta have tough talk"- Chael Sonnen gives his take on Daniel Cormier's comments regarding Tony Ferguson's career and retirement

Daniel Cormier recently suggested that Tony Ferguson should retire following his fifth straight loss.

In his first 28 fights, Ferguson only lost three times with a record of 25-3. He has had far less success lately with five straight losses, the most recent of which coming at UFC 279. In that bout he was submitted for the first time since 2009 by Nate Diaz. Chael Sonnen shared his opinion on Cormier's comments.

While speaking on his podcast, Beyond the Fight, Chael Sonnen discussed Daniel Cormier's comments suggesting that Tony Ferguson should retire.

"Daniel Cormier spoke very clearly on this and it was tough talk. You gotta have tough talk, particularly from guys that are leaders like Daniel, and Daniel said it is over. He said 'I don't know what was in that performance - I don't care about the outcome, I didn't like the way Tony performed, and I don't know what within that performance would lead Tony to believe it's a good idea to ever do this again.'"

Sonnen continued to share why he saw things differently, adding:

"Daniel is not alone. I think I'm the odd man out. I saw something different. I liked the fight. There was a time within that fight where I thought that Nate Diaz quit... These guys are in the fourth round when things go bad for Tony... Tony Ferguson a 155 pounder competed at 170 pounds. Anybody else that had changed weight classes and was that competitive in a main event spot, we're not even having this conversation."

Sonnen shared that he would like for Ferguson to be able to go out on his own terms, and that he doesn't believe he is done yet. Although he was down on two judges' scorecards, one judge did have him ahead before he was submitted.

Watch Chael Sonnen's full reaction to Daniel Cormier's comments on Tony Ferguson below (quote begins at the 7:18 mark):

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This is not the first time Daniel Cormier has suggested Tony Ferguson is done

Following UFC 274, where Tony Ferguson was viciously knocked out by a front-kick from Michael Chandler, Daniel Cormier shared that he felt Ferguson's time had passed. Many felt that the double champion was being hard on Ferguson due to his ties to Khabib Nurmagomedov. Cormier trained with the former lightweight champion at the American Kickboxing Academy and has a close friendship with the Dagestani fighter. Ferguson and Nurmagomedov had a longstanding rivalry that sadly never saw a bout come to fruition.

Despite losing four straight fights, many felt that Ferguson had faced very tough competition and still had something left in the tank. Following UFC 279, there are far fewer people disagreeing with Cormier, a former double champ and UFC Hall of Famer.

Despite the suggestion that he may be done, Tony Ferguson doesn't seem ready to retire, as he claimed Daniel Cormier is a 'hater'. He previously suggested that he would have retired after UFC 274, if not for a good first-round.

With a career that has brought great success and popularity, Ferguson wants to go out on his own terms. While that time may not be now, it does seem to be approaching.