Reporter records Tony Ferguson's reaction to UFC 249 cancellation in real time

Tony Ferguson was in the middle of an interview when he found out about the cancellation of UFC 249.

The Lightweight contender was speaking to Brian Martin of Orange County Register when the news went public. The article reported Ferguson's shock and surprise upon hearing the news in real time.

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Tony Ferguson left shocked at the news

Ferguson was slated to fight Justin Gaethje, who replaced Khabib Nurmagomedov as the other headliner at UFC 249. The last few weeks have been a roller-coaster ride for everyone involved in the event, as the coronavirus pandemic first forced it out of its Brooklyn venue of Barclays Center, and then cost UFC the participation of the Lightweight Champion.

The news alerts showed up 19 minutes into the interview, Brian Martin tweeted and also wrote in his report.

How did Tony Ferguson find out UFC 249 wasn't happening? That would be me ... about 19 minutes into our interview just now. Here's how that went (and HUGE respect to @TonyFergusonXT for being such a class act). https://t.co/Z9FKcCSKy3

— Brian Martin (@TheBMartin) April 10, 2020

Ferguson was reportedly in shock after hearing the news. His first response was an expletive accompanied by "Oh wow", followed by nine seconds of silence. After that, he said, "Oh well. I'm still gonna train."

After composing himself, 'El Cucuy' finally shared his comment on the matter.

"Um… you know what? I’m sure it’s for a good reason. Let’s be real. I gotta keep the faith. I gotta keep this … (expletive) … keep this small circle close, bro, and just keep focusing on what we can control, which is our heart rate and our breathing."

Ferguson, who is currently on a 12-win streak, got emotional talking about what he will be doing, now that UFC pay-per-views have been indefinitely postponed.

"Dude, I’m just gonna keep collecting trophies and doing my same s**t. Every single time I wake up in the morning, when I do my work, say my prayers and I do (stuff), I hug my little boy … whew … kiss my wife. I just … keep doing what I’m doing. What am I gonna do?"

Ferguson plans on putting on some muscles during this hiatus and continue trying to do his best. He also said he would be reaching out to Dana White and thank him for going to great extents to make UFC 249 happen. But in the end, he had to stand down after request to halt the show came from the highest orders of UFC's broadcasting partner ESPN and their parent company, Disney.

Ferguson ended the interview on a positive note.

"I’m gonna try my best. I’m gonna do it. I’m gonna try my best. If I fall, I’ll get back up."