Tony Ferguson‘s downfall is undoubtedly one of the most tragic reality check fight fans have gotten in the last few years. The American fighter is currently on an eight-fight losing streak, an all-time record. Almost all the fighters fall off their prime after turning 35, and Ferguson is no different. It turns out UFC commentator Joe Rogan does have a theory on where it went wrong for ‘El Cucuy.’
Tony Ferguson lost to Michel Chiesa by submission at UFC Abu Dhabi. Ferguson declared his semi-retirement following the defeat, leaving one glove in the middle of the octagon. However, in a typical ‘Tony Ferguson’ style, he stated that he had no intention of retiring. Recently, Joe Rogan discussed Ferguson’s downfall. The commentator blamed his 2018 knee injury as the primary cause of this.
So, he’s about to fight Khabib for the title in Madison Square Garden, he trips over some wires and tears his knee apart. Just a freak accident….has to get knee surgery, misses the title fight.
Joe Rogan via JRE MMA Show #162
In 2018, Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov were scheduled for a UFC lightweight title fight. It was a dream fight for many fans, as both fighters were in their prime. Unfortunately, fate made an odd intervention. Ferguson suffered a serious knee injury after he stumbled over some wires while doing a backstage interview.
Rogan suggests the downfall of the knee injury remains circumstantial at best. Ferguson recovered from the injury and put on an absolute beatdown on Anthony Pettis and Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone. Still, the injury prevented a dream MMA fight from happening.
Ferguson’s 12-fight undefeated streak had domination victories over fighters such as Edson Barboza, Rafael dos Anjos, Anthony Pettis, and others. However, with that injury in 2018, Ferguson never got the opportunity to fight for the undisputed lightweight title.
The fight that marked the downfall of Tony Ferguson
Even after the freak injury in 2018, Tony Ferguson made a comeback after six months and won two more fights. However, it was his fight with Justin Gaethje at UFC 249 that allegedly changed him completely. Ferguson lost the bout via TKO in one of the most brutal and bloody fights in UFC history.
Tony Ferguson vs. Justin Gaethje (via X)Throughout the bout, Gaethje showed why he is known as a brutal fighter by landing various punches on Ferguson. He managed to give Ferguson severe damage. Ferguson was never the same after the battle. That being said, Gaethje doesn’t regret it because it’s a requirement of her profession.
If he could change position with me, he would do that in a heartbeat. It’s my job, it’s what I do. Luckily I was successful that night, not my problem. I think I took his confidence away and I think confidence is the biggest factor when you are in there.
Justin Gaethje via ESPN MMA
After that fight, Ferguson’s arch-rival Khabib Nurmagomedov had predicted the downfall of the fighter. Four years later, his prediction turned out to be correct, but the rivalry was far from over. While many fans and experts want Ferguson to retire, everything depends on what the veteran decides going forward.
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