Tony… It’s Time.
(via Yahoo Sports)
Former UFC Interim Lightweight Champion, Tony Ferguson, lost via first round submission to Michael Chiesa at UFC on ABC 7 Saturday night, making it his eighth straight loss.
Ferguson, a fan favorite, and a mainstay in the lightweight division for over 10 years, has fallen on hard times since the turn of the decade, and at this point, many fans are begging for his retirement. Seeing such a beloved figure such as Ferguson suffer eight straight losses has been agony, and especially since he established himself as one of the best lightweights on the planet makes it even harder to digest.
‘El Cucuy,’ meaning the boogeyman, once amassed a dominant 12 fight win streak in his career, where he defeated some of the scariest lightweights of all time. Names such as Edson Barboza, Rafael Dos Anjos, Josh Thomson, Donald Cerrone, and Anthony Pettis have been left in Ferguson’s wake, and all of them in especially violent fashion.
In Ferguson’s prime, he was regarded as one of the most violent fighters in the division. UFC commentator, Joe Rogan, famously said that “everyone he fights looks like they just fell off of a train,” and the fact he had a seemingly never ending gas tank and a granite chin made him one of the most avoided fighters at the time.
However, in his fight against Justin Gaethje at UFC 249, it was not the same Ferguson that fans were used to. Gaethje’s game plan was virtually flawless, staying on the feet, and hitting Ferguson with clean, hard shots consistently. Ferguson lost via TKO in the fifth round.
Ferguson then suffered losses to Charles Oliveira, Beneil Dariush, Michael Chandler, Nate Diaz, Bobby Green, Paddy Pimblett, and Chiesa. Throughout this losing streak, fans and journalists alike have been vocal that the 40-year-old should retire.
Ferguson left one glove in the octagon in his fight against Chiesa, saying that he would talk to his family about retirement, but did not concede that he was officially retiring. At this point in his career, his fans, friends, family, and coaches alike would like to see him hang his gloves up for good.
It is not because they believe that he does not have the ability to fight anymore, but for his safety alone. Many believe that Ferguson is already a victim of CTE, and think that continuing to fight will be a detriment to his health and his family.
In 2019, Ferguson’s wife called 911 due to the unusual behavior and actions that Ferguson exhibited. These actions included believing that surgeons put a microchip in him when he underwent knee surgery. breaking walls because he believed that the government put cameras and microphones in his house, and splashing holy water on his wife because he believed she was possessed.
His losing streak, coupled with the erratic behavior that he has exhibited outside the cage makes retirement seem like the best option. Fans would hate to see him end up like so many other combat sports stars have, struggling to speak, under constant medical supervision, and a shell of their former self.
