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Tony Ferguson is not willing to hang up the gloves anytime soon. ‘El Cucuy’ lost to Paddy Pimblett via unanimous decision at UFC 296. From scoring 12 straight wins in one of the most stacked divisions to losing seven fights in a row, Ferguson’s decline has been sudden and shocking.
At 39 years old, the California native is at the tail end of his career and the calls for his retirement have gotten louder in light of his recent losses. However, Ferguson still feels he can turn the clock back and become a champion. He shared his thoughts in an Instagram story and addressed his fans after the UFC 296 loss:
“Love my fans and supporters. You are all f***ing fire. I met lots of you tonight, keep the faith MF’s. One foot in front of the other b****es. Remember what I said crew — Champ. [H/t TheMacLife]”
Ferguson became the first UFC fighter to amass a double-digit winning streak in the UFC lightweight division, winning the interim UFC lightweight title in the process. His last win came at UFC 238 when he defeated Donald Cerrone via second-round TKO. Ferguson’s loss to Justin Gaethje at UFC 249 stopped the winning streak and changed the course of his career.
Heading into the Paddy Pimblett fight, ‘El Cucuy’ trained with renowned endurance athlete David Goggins. However, it had little impact on his performance as Pimblett won every round on the judges' scorecards.
Dana White says he would love to see Tony Ferguson retire
The UFC has changed its approach towards aging competitors over the last few years and parted ways with several underperforming veterans like Tyron Woodley, Junior dos Santos and Yoel Romero, among others.
While speaking at the UFC 296 post-fight press conference, UFC boss Dana White was asked if he would allow Tony Ferguson to continue fighting in the UFC. White said they would consider factors like the level of competition and his body of work before the loss streak to make that decision. However, he admitted that the 39-year-old looked like a fighter that needed to retire:
“Tony has been an absolute warrior and a dog in the sport. I don’t want to disrespect him by publicly talking about him retiring but I would love to see him retire. That’s really where my head’s at.”
Check out Dana White’s comments below (24:25):
