Jon Jones vs. Tony Ferguson? 'El Cucuy' recounts college clash that was super close

Tony Ferguson recently opened up about his wrestling encounter with Jon Jones in the past. Ferguson, who is significantly smaller in comparison to Jones, asserted that he came extremely near to defeating the former UFC heavyweight champion.

According to combat sports news outlet MMA Junkie, Jones became the national junior college wrestling champion in 2006 at Iowa Central Community College, while Ferguson held NCAA champion status in the 165-pound division during that period. Something might have happened between the two mixed martial artists that the MMA community is unaware of.

Ferguson, who is currently hosting Hype FC's ‘Reels Fighting’ tournament in Thailand, recently revealed that he almost beat Jones in wrestling:

''I wrestled John Jones in college. I lost by one point. I bumped up two weight classes. I went because our 184 pounder got hurt. And I was 100, I won nationals at 165. I jumped up two weight classes and I was weighing in at 175 pounds and wrestling these guys cutting from 200 to 185. And I took third at nationals that year.''

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Ferguson continued:

''And I wrestled John Jones at the Cliff Keen National Duels and I lost by one fu*king point. Almost beat him. So every time we talk to each other we always mess around he grabbed my glasses one time, he says, 'you won't get these back.' I said, 'you wanna wrestle?.' He said, 'nah, nah, here you go.'''

Check out Tony Ferguson's comments below (via Red Corner MMA X post):

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As for the MMA scene, Ferguson signed with Global Fight League (GFL) earlier this year after amassing an eight-fight losing skid in the UFC. His scheduled matchup against Dillon Danis at GFL 1 on May 24 was canceled due to lack of funds. The former interim champion is currently preparing to step into the boxing ring next month.

Meanwhile, Jones retired from combat sports last month as UFC's heavyweight kingpin without facing then-interim champion Tom Aspinall.

When Jon Jones responded to Tony Ferguson's callout

In a past X post, Tony Ferguson targeted Jon Jones, highlighting their wrestling bout, which he also mentioned above.

Ferguson’s sudden callout caught Jones’ attention, leaving him surprised by ‘El Cucuy’s’ behavior. The former two-division champion wrote the following in a now-deleted X post:

''Wait, when did this beef start?!? I thought we were cool!! You over there feeling suicidal Tony?''

Jones later apologized for the choice of his words after getting criticized by MMA fans across the globe.

About the author

Swagat is a dynamic MMA writer with a total experience of a little less than a year, which includes time in retail and sports journalism. He holds an MBA degree.

Swagat fell in love with the sport after watching the iconic grudge match between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier at UFC 182 in early 2015. Nate Diaz holds a special place in his heart for the Stockton native’s entertaining fan-friendly style and ability to deliver exciting fights regardless of the opponent.

In terms of rule changes in MMA, Swagat advocates for making scores public after each round, adding transparency to judging decisions.

Swagat prioritizes accuracy and relevance while writing and conducts thorough research to ensure the content is fresh and reliable.

He enjoys playing football and painting during his free time.

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Edited by Swagat Kumar Jena