After an impressive third-round submission win over Kevin Lee at UFC 216 in October, Tony Ferguson captured the UFC interim lightweight title. But it may take some time before “El Cucuy” can get back into action.
Ferguson apparently underwent elbow surgery, and per a report by MMA Fighting, the timetable of his return has yet to be determined. The procedure was first announced by his wife Cristina via an Instagram post on her private account.
@xtfergie, Instagram (screenshot by MMAFighting.com)
Even if he was healthy enough to compete, Ferguson is still dealing with a tangled mess in his division’s title picture. UFC president Dana White did confirm that he will be unifying the lightweight titles against Conor McGregor, supposedly for UFC 219 on December 30th. However, those plans were scrapped due to McGregor’s unruly behavior at Bellator 187.
White also confirmed that they are currently working on a new deal with McGregor, but also admitted that they are on the “he might never fight again” phase.
Ferguson is currently on a ten-fight win streak, six of which earned him post-fight bonuses.