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Tony Ferguson recently received a call-out from fellow UFC veteran Michael Johnson.
From Ferguson's UFC debut in 2011 to his last victory in 2019, 'El Cucuy' put together a series of performances that struck fear into the hearts of every UFC lightweight.
Ferguson emerged onto the scene after winning The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale in 2011, and amassed a record of 15-1 in the promotion, including a 12-fight win streak. However, his defeat to Justin Gaethje at UFC 249 set in motion a series of setbacks, and Ferguson is currently on a five-fight losing streak. In his last outing, he was submitted by Nate Diaz at UFC 279.
Michael Johnson recently took to Twitter to offer the former UFC interim champion an opportunity to turn his career around. 'The Menace' tweeted:
"Yo @TonyFergusonXT not sure if you’re still in the big game, but if so and you want to come back to 55 I’ll give you a chance to redeem yourself. or we can do it 170 also!! Let’s give the fans what they want!!!"
Tony Ferguson's career trajectory appeared destined for a clash with fellow UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov. The pair were booked to fight five times, but due to a variety of reasons, the bout never materialized.
Ferguson's defeat to Gaethje meant that the latter would face Nurmagomedov at UFC 254. 'The Eagle' defeated Gaethje and announced his retirement from the sport, as he explained that the unfortunate passing of his father meant that he would not continue fighting.
Nurmagomedov promised his mother that he would never return to the sport, which signaled the end of any hope that he and Tony Ferguson would ever fight.
Ferguson's string of losses have all come against top-ranked fighters like Michael Chandler and Charles Oliveira, and an opponent like Johnson could be what 'El Cucuy' needs to turn his career around. Johnson has lost five of his last seven bouts, but is coming off a narrow win over Marc Diakese.
Notably, Johnson and Ferguson have already shared the octagon. Over ten years ago, the lightweight duo squared off at UFC on FOX 3 in New Jersey, where Ferguson came away with a unanimous decision win.
Nick Diaz explains why he isn't a fan on Tony Ferguson's striking
Tony Ferguson is an enigma, and his fighting style is representative of his eccentric personality. 'El Cucuy' is an unpredictable striker who throws a variety of conventional and unconventional techniques, such as combining traditional Muay Thai techniques with Wing Chun.
Fellow MMA legend Nick Diaz recently featured on popular chiropractor Dr. Beau Hightower's YouTube channel, and Diaz said this about Ferguson's style:
"I don’t like it. It’s obnoxious. I can’t stand that type of style. I’m not gonna knock it because that’s what you have to do. It’s like a spastic type of person [who] makes up [for] a lack of technique with those types of tactics."
Catch Nick Diaz's comments below (9:00):
