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Tony Ferguson is coming off his first defeat in nearly 7 years. In that time, he's had a string of 12 straight wins against some of UFC's most elite fighters. However, Justin Gaethje snapped that streak at UFC 249 as he finished Ferguson in the final round to claim the Interim Lightweight Championship and set up a date with Khabib Nurmagoemdov later in the summer.
Eddie Bravo, one of his coaches, revealed that Tony Ferguson has been taking the loss well and is more motivated than ever to return. ESPN's Ariel Helwani recently revealed a heartwarming story about a Make-A-Wish kid who contacted him about the possibility of seeing Tony Ferguson.
While the COVID-19 pandemic naturally prevents a face-to-face meeting, they were hoping to set up a FaceTime chat with Tony Ferguson. The former Interim UFC Lightweight Champion took an extra step:
It's a great gesture by Tony Ferguson and it's always heartwarming to read. We hope to see him return soon, but it wouldn't be surprising if he only fights at the end of the year.
Tony Ferguson's next step
Tony Ferguson took quite a beating against Justin Gaethje and as of now, the only logical opponent is Dustin Poirier, who just came off a brutal five-round war against Dan The Hangman Hooker.
Poirier took a lot of damage as well so it might be a while before he makes his return. Either way, we can see a situation where Dustin Poirier vs Tony Ferguson is the #1 contender's fight to face the winner of Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Justin Gaethje.
Conor McGregor returning could throw everything out of the window, however. It all depends on whether Justin Gaethje can beat Khabib Nurmagomedov. If the Russian is still the Champion by next year, even one more win from Poirier may not be enough to secure another title shot.
