While Tony Ferguson has lost his last eight consecutive fights, a UFC legend has explained why ‘El Cucuy’ won’t retire, claiming he’s ‘still chasing that high’.
The Mexican-American has undeniably cemented his place as one of the greatest lightweights in the history of the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization. However, at this stage, many of his fans would like to see him hang up the gloves.
Matt Brown explains why Tony Ferguson won’t retire
Last Saturday, at UFC Abu Dhabi, Tony Ferguson returned to the cage for an eagerly-anticipated clash with Michael Chiesa.
But rather than breathing a breath of fresh air into his career, a first-round submission loss could’ve been the final nail in the coffin.
Following the contest, the warrior placed a glove in the center of the cage, indicating his competitive career had come to an end. However, he left one on, leaving the door ajar for another roll of the dice.
Unsurprisingly, by the time the press conference rolled around, he was already talking about his next steps, emphatically claiming he was going to ‘get better’.
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Having experienced the difficulty of giving up fighting himself, Matt Brown knows exactly how Ferguson feels.
During the latest episode of MMA Fighting’s The Fighter vs. The Writer, he said: “Look, when you lose eight in a row, it doesn’t matter where you’re at in your career — that’s pretty much Ok, you should probably call it quits.
“Something isn’t right. Whatever it is. If you lost your first eight or you lost your last eight.
“The problem is he had so many wins, he was interim champion, on like a 12-fight winning streak back in the day. So he’s like a cocaine addict trying to reach that high again.
“When you get eight [losses], it doesn’t matter. If he had lost eight fights in a row at the beginning of his career, his first eight fights, he would have quit, most likely. He would have been like ‘well this definitely isn’t the sport for me, I lost eight fights in a row.’ But because he’s already had that high, he’s thinking, ‘I can get back to that’.”
Tony Ferguson threw up before UFC Abu Dhabi
Throughout his career, the 40-year-old has developed a reputation for his fearsome mentality.
Blessed with a creative array of strikes and a willingness to walk through the fire, at the peak of his powers, Ferguson was renowned for taking every shot thrown in his direction before cutting his opponents open with horrifying elbows.
However, it appears he no longer has the same hunger for violence. Following the loss to Chiesa, he confessed that before making his walk to the cage, he threw up several times.
In a testament to his honesty, he also discussed experiencing a level of crippling nerves that he hadn’t ever felt before.
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