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During a recent video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Michael Bisping heaped praise on Tony Ferguson despite the former UFC interim lightweight champion suffering losses in his past three fights.
'El Cucuy' was next in line for a title shot before Covid-19 forced Khabib Nurmagomedov to pull out of their scheduled bout. After losing to a short-notice replacement in Justin Gaethje, the now 38-year-old went on to endure two consecutive unanimous decision defeats to Charles Oliveira and Beneil Dariush respectively.
While he is currently on the worst run of his career, Bisping took the time to console the fan-favorite athlete.
"Right now, Tony has fallen on hard times. Listen, there's no shame in that... Tony is a warrior, Tony leaves it in the Octagon each and every time, but he's currently on a three-fight losing streak."
The UFC Hall-of-Famer insists Tony Ferguson shouldn't be ashamed due to the level of talent he's faced. He also stated:
"Those losses have aged very well, when you look at who they are. First one came to Charles Oliveira, as we know, he's now the lightweight champion of the world... Then it was Justin Gaethje, Justin Gaethje ain't no slouch man, Justin Gaethje's fighting for the belt... Zero shame in that matchup."
His third loss came to Beneil Dariush, a man who the Brit considers to be one of the greatest on the planet at 155 lbs and could potentially hold UFC gold one day.
Hear what Michael Bisping had to say about Ferguson in the 11-minute long video below.
Tony Ferguson's final UFC title push
Despite being on a 12-fight win-streak and fighting the best his division has to offer, Tony Ferguson has never managed to hold an undisputed UFC championship.
As he begins to approach the age of 40, the 32-fight veteran will be hoping to make one last run at the lightweight title. Four consecutive losses could spell the end for the well-rounded fighter's career in the sport.
Losing three in a row usually calls for a reset and a weaker opponent, but not with Tony Ferguson. He steps up to face Michael Chandler in the co-main event of UFC 274 in two months time.
While there are no official reports, it is likely that both Ferguson and Chandler will be on standby to replace Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje should one of the fighters pick up an injury.
