'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Tony Ferguson climbed to the helm of the UFC's 155-lbs division by relying on his self-devised training modus operandi. But after suffering two consecutive losses, 'El Cucuy' has decided to shake things up and turn to a more orthodox training style.
Owing to a rift among his former coaches, Tony Ferguson purged all of his cornermen leading up to UFC 262. The Ventura-based fighter is looking to bring about a paradigm shift in his fighting approach by remodeling his training camp. Apart from roping in new coaches, Ferguson has reconnected with the people who helped him during the inception of his UFC career.
Tony Ferguson has now centered his training camp around Freddie Roach's Wild Card boxing gym in Los Angeles. Ferguson also trains under the tutelage of Marvin Somodio and former boxing Olympian Pepe Reilly. Being a pugilist himself, Tony finds it easier to acclimate to a boxing-intensive training regime.
"I started to find myself over at Wild Card a lot easier, because that’s where I knew that I could find that kind of grind. You’ve got amateurs, you’ve got pros and you’ve got Olympians. And you have a different look at everything, but the grind is still the same” said Tony Ferguson in an interview with Submission Radio.
In an interview with ESPN, Tony Ferguson revealed that he will have Freddie Roach as one of his cornermen at UFC 262. Furthermore, Dave Mills (Ferguson's wrestling coach) and UFC veteran Ben Saunders will also be seen in Ferguson's corner on May 15th.
Tony Ferguson gets in touch with "Team Death Clutch" head coach Brock Lesnar
During the UFC 262 pre-fight press conference, Tony Ferguson revealed that he has been in touch with Brock Lesnar, Marty Morgan, Greg Nelson, and Erik Paulson. Ferguson, who Lesnar coached in Season 13 of TUF, also quoted one of the WWE superstar's most famous lines from The Ultimate Fighter:
"Do you understand the difference between chicken s**t and chicken salad?"
Ferguson went on to detail how these coaches helped him remember what's important.
"This is mixed martial arts. It's not a pissing contest. You're not trying to go out there and trying to box this dude. You're not trying to impress anybody. You're going out there for that f---ing victory, and this is exactly what we needed to do. And they helped me surround that."
'El Cucuy' was on a tear in the lightweight division (12-fight winning streak) before getting dominated by Justin Gaethje and Charles Oliveira in back-to-back bouts. With the support of a revamped coaching staff, Ferguson hopes to embark on his quest to get back into title contention.
