At UFC Abu Dhabi, Tony Ferguson was unable to snap out of his ongoing losing streak. It was a disappointing night as in the opening round, ‘El Cucuy’ was lost via submission to welterweight Michael Chiesa. As it turns out, the whole fight week was filled with various obstacles for Ferguson.
Going into the fight, Tony Ferguson was confident about winning against Chiesa. ‘El Cucuy’ revealed taking his fight camp seriously and sparring after seven long years. However, it was not enough for the former interim UFC lightweight champion to gather a win. During the post-fight presser, Ferguson talked about falling sick and vomiting ahead of the fight.
I felt sick, I threw up probably maybe 3 or 4 times being nervous as fuck. I normally don’t get nervous but in the back I was kind of like yacking and dry heaving
Tony Ferguson via UFC Abu Dhabi post-fight press conference
Ferguson’s losing streak started after his brutal fight with Justin Gaethje at UFC 249. Ferguson took a lot of damage and ultimately lost the bout via TKO. After a few more losses, he got knocked out by Michael Chandler with a vicious kick to the chin. In his last four fights, the fighter has been submitted thrice. While many fans wanted Ferguson to stop long ago, the fighter never considered that.
Tony Ferguson vomited 4 times before his fight with Michael Chiesa🤮🤮
“I felt sick, I threw up probably maybe 3 or 4 times being nervous as fuck. I normally don’t get nervous but in the back I was kind of like yacking and dry heaving”
🎥 @TheMacLife ▫️ pic.twitter.com/Hp823c1q7x
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) August 3, 2024
It was Tony Ferguson’s eighth loss in a row, and he has beaten legendary BJ Penn’s record for the longest losing streak in UFC history. Furguson achieved this feat following his legendary 12-fight winning streak. The fighter was disappointed during the octagon interview and announced his semi-retirement. He took home one glove with him in case he felt like returning back again.
Rising middleweight star believes Tony Ferguson can make his comeback
During his prime, Tony Ferguson was a treat to watch. The fighter had an incredible chin and cardio. On top of it, his eccentric personality and training methods made him very entertaining for fans. As a result, he was able to gather a massive fan base who now don’t want to see the fighter getting hurt anymore.
Sharaputdin Magomedov believes Tony Ferguson will return to UFC (via X)Furguson had a massive influence all over the world, and many young fighters respected him for his contributions. After UFC Abu Dhabi, undefeated middleweight Shara Magomedov backed Ferguson. According to ‘Bullet,’ Ferguson is a superstar and has the potential to come back and break his losing streak.
Tony Ferguson is a huge star in Dagestan. We were warming up in the same locker room, he’s a cool guy, it’s his dream to fight. He loves it, to tell him to forget his dream and retire, everyone has bad luck. He is on an eight-fight losing streak before that he won 12 in a row. Maybe he will get back to that.
Sharaputdin Magomedov via UFC Abu Dhabi post-fight press conference
On the other hand, Ferguson’s old rival, Khabib Nurmagomedov, had a wholesome message for the fighter in his semi-retirement. It seems like, despite the ongoing losing streak and growing age, Ferguson still doesn’t want to quit. As such, the future of Ferguson in combat sports remains uncertain at the moment.
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