Tony Ferguson is worried about Charles Oliveira’s tendency to not make weight ahead of their UFC 256 bout. Although the Brazilian has not missed the mark ever since moving back up to the 155-pound division in 2017, ‘El Cucuy’ is concerned that the short notice might mess with his opponent’s weight cutting process.
In an interview with Combate, Ferguson said Brazilian jiu-jitsu guys, such as Oliveira, are known to miss weight. When the short notice factor is added, Tony already expects ‘Do Bronx’ to come in heavy, but does not mind taking 20% of Charles’ purse if that ends up being the case.
“He needs to make weight. You better expect it (for Charles to miss weight) in short notice fights, I don’t have the exact numbers, but let me be real with you, Jiu-jitsu guys always show up heavy. Charles, look, man, you have to make weight. You say you want to be the champion, you want do all this. I won’t encourage you to make weight. Give me 20% of your purse, I’ll kick your ass and send you back home. It’s going to be a long trip.”
After learning some of the statements Oliveira said regarding their fight, about how Charles plans to outgrapple and outstrike Ferguson, Tony seemed amused, but did not feel like firing back. Instead, El Cucuy prefers to let the fight speak for itself in the Octagon.
“I’ve been doing this for 30 years and that guy says he’s a better striker, a better grappler than me. That’s great. It’s his opinion. He can believe whatever he wants. I don’t really care about it.”
Before being TKO’d by Justin Gaethje in his last outing, Tony Ferguson (25-4) was on an incredible 12-fight winning streak. That string of victories includes wins over some of the division’s most notable names, such as Donald Cerrone, Anthony Pettis, Rafael dos Anjos and Edson Barboza, among others.
Now, Tony Ferguson is expected to take on Charles Oliveira at UFC 256, on December 12, at the UFC Apex, in Las Vegas. The card is scheduled to be headlined by a flyweight title fight between the champion, Deiveson Figueiredo, and top contender Brandon Moreno.
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