The Tony Ferguson paradox: Fighting forevermore

Long before the sun boiled the flocks of fans waiting outside the Footprint Center on Saturday, May 8 2022, two friends stood starstruck on Tuesday. Their late stroll under the cool moonlight had been cut short, as the very person they had travelled to see was jogging down the street. Fan favourite fighter — Tony Ferguson.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) mainstay’s efforts at shedding the last few pounds of weight to make the lightweight limit was interrupted by two frozen fans. A couple awkward pictures later, and Ferguson was off once more. Elated and thawed out, the two headed back to their hotel room. But before they could make any real distance, they were stopped.

A passer-by had noticed the chance encounter and asked a simple question. Who was that guy?

THE fan favourite

Even without any concrete data, most would feel confident in claiming that Ferguson was arguably the most loved UFC fighter in recent memory. And for good reason too. An oddity in both the persona presented, and fighting style employed, the bogeyman was captivating like no other.

In a sea of fighters both stoic and raucous, he was somewhere in between. The unpredictability of his antics, whether they be at a press conference or in videos of his own training, made him must watch television. And when fans tuned in, they loved what they saw. 

Ferguson’s quaint nature didn’t disappear in the octagon. While the wrestlers hailed down with ground and pound, and the strikers needled with sharp shots, El Cucuy cut with vicious elbows. Streaking blood was the image that appeared in one’s mind when they thought about a Ferguson bout. Both his opponent’s and his own.

But, despite the hope with which fans clutched onto the memory above, they knew all too well it was beginning to dissipate. And the Phoenix sun was only adding to their anxiety. Ferguson was on a three-fight loss streak. It was hard to believe, considering that before he fell short against Justin Gaethje in their 2020 championship bout, Ferguson seemed unbeatable. His 12 fight win streak was the longest in the lightweight division until only recently, when Islam Makhachev surpassed him.

The hunter of the division had become the hunted. His name still held weight, even though his decline was ever apparent. And so, fighters lined up at their chance to face the man that was once avoided by most.

Charles Oliveria was the next to add Ferguson to his win coloumn, a bout that earned the Brazilian another title shot. Six months later, Beneil Dariush triumphed over El Cucuy as well, inching closer to the top of the division.

Now, at UFC 274 in Phoenix, Arizona, Ferguson was to face Michael Chandler. Despite losing three in a row, a dominant performance against Chandler would remind the world that the bogeyman was a bonafide contender. With that in mind, fans readied themselves for the fight outside the Footprint Center’s doors. And their dream began to reify when Ferguson dropped Chandler with a left in the first round. However, it crumbled soon after, as Chandler sent Ferguson to the depths of purgatory with a front kick plumb on the chin in the second round.

It was then that reality began to set in for everyone watching. Unfortunately, the man himself laid unconscious, unable to soak in the truth.

Four more fights, and another four losses followed. The competition was nothing to jeer at. But, this was Tony Ferguson, the man that many thought would end Khabib Nurmagomedov’s reign. However, now people doubted why they ever thought such a thing in the first place. 

Ferguson lost to Nate Diaz, Bobby Green, Paddy Pimblett, and Michael Chiesa. Each encounter harder than the last to watch for the fans. It wasn’t just because he was losing. The way in which Ferguson fought was unrecognisable. Age had shown his seams.

Fans got used to the cycle of Ferguson. Watch him lose a fight, then read about how he is rejuvenated, motivated, and ready for the next on his social media, albeit in often nonsensical text littered with emojis. 

Rinse and repeat forevermore. But, on Wednesday, January 29, forever seemed to have found an end.

Fighting forevermore

Reports of Ferguson’s tenure with the UFC coming to an end began circulating near the end of last week. He had been officially removed from the roster this past Wednesday. Fans basked in relief as they read the news on whichever social media platform they frequented. However, it was short lived. They would soon see that while Ferguson would no longer make the walk under the UFC banner, he wasn’t yet done competing.

Ferguson had signed with the Global Fight League.

Maybe the bogeyman would look more like his former self when placed next to weaker competition, such as Dillon Danis, who is rumoured to be his first fight in the organisation. Or maybe he’ll look like he has for the past four years. Maybe he’ll look like the 40-year-old he is.

Fans are expecting to see a fighter long out of his prime continue to sacrifice his health in an effort to regain a sliver of what he once was. They know that it’s not possible. The question is, why does Ferguson believe otherwise?

There’s always the possibility that he doesn’t. That he’s doing it because he needs the money. He alluded to as much back in 2022 before he clashed with Chandler. 

“I think we’re underpaid personally.”

During the media day ahead of the fight, Ferguson’s interview put UFC CEO Dana White in his crosshairs. He discussed how his desire to compete in other sports such as boxing, baseball, and professional wrestling were all shot down by the boss.

“I wanna go do all these things, but then I have this guy right here acting like a f****** drug dealer telling me I can’t go and do this s***. I want to go make more money for my family.”

The UFC has been under fire in regards to fighter pay for a long time, with two separate lawsuits being filed in 2014 and 2021 alleging that the organisation used exclusive contracts with its fighters and its market power to block rival promoters and thus keep athletes under the MMA behemoth’s banner for low pay.

In October 2024, a USD375 million settlement was agreed upon by the UFC, although they continued to deny any wrongdoing. 

Fighter pay has always played a pivotal role in the recurring bouts in which an old and slow fighter is dismantled by a young up-and-comer. But, there’s another aspect tugging at these fighters, coaxing them to continue making the walk. It may be present in all of the old legends, but it is most evident in Ferguson. 

And that is an inability to deny what has been instilled in him. An inability to oppose the nature of fighting. Through the years of training he’s undergone. Through the highs in his record setting win streak. And through the lows in his record setting loss streak, Ferguson continues to try and try again because of what he has been taught. 

To fight is to never give up. To fight is to bet on yourself. To fight is to not let your shortcomings define you. To fight is to keep pushing forward in the face of the punishment pushing you back. If these ideals helped you achieve your dream, as they did with Ferguson when he won the interim title against Kevin Lee in 2017, would you stray away from them?

To do so would mean breaking the mold that has made you into the man you are. A man that inspires countless people worldwide. 

“I was getting these emails from these people from all over the world saying that I saved their life, that they didn’t want to kill themselves, that they found themselves in bad territory, and I’m not the only one. I guarantee you that there’s a lot of fighters that get these emails.”

And so, to stop fighting may be an impossible task. Yet, it may be possible if one reaches the heights they’ve long sought. 

The paradox formula

A title of any kind is a dream come true. But, an interim belt does not place you at the top of the mountain. It signifies that you were the best, when the best wasn’t available. For one who trained to be undisputed, like Ferguson, it may not be enough.

And were he to have been given the opportunity, even if he fell short, there may have been a sliver of solace in knowing he tested himself against the peak. Yet, that opportunity never came to fruition, despite the fact that the bogeyman earned it time and time again. 

December 2015 was the first time Ferguson was scheduled to fight against Khabib. However, the Dagestani champion pulled out of the bout due to an injury. His replacement, Edson Barboza, was submitted by El Cucuy via D’Arce choke in the second round. In April of next year, a second bout was scheduled, but that too fell apart. This time it was Ferguson suffering from a lung injury. 

The bogeyman then faced UFC newcomer Lando Vannata and former champion Rafael Dos Anjos in his next two fights. He won both.

The bout against Nurmagoimeov was then scheduled again for the third time. However, as was expected by now, the fight was canceled. Khabib was hospitalised from the effects of the weight cut to 155 pounds. Ferguson still went on to win the belt, but it was the aforementioned interim title bout against replacement Kevin Lee, and as has been said, it’s not the same as becoming undisputed. 

What was now indubitably the most anticipated bout in the history of MMA, was scheduled for a fourth time for April 2018. But, as if by cruel fate, Ferguson tore his  fibular collateral ligament on a Fox set during a media obligation. And as if to throw salt on the wound, he was stripped of his title. 

“When it comes down to that and then I’m going to get stripped of my title because i fucking took a bad fall on accident. I should have sued.”

Two fights and two more wins for Ferguson later, and the bout was scheduled for a fifth time in April of 2020. However, the fight just wasn’t meant to be. Khabib was unable to leave Russia due to COVID restrictions. 

That was when the loss streak began, and all hopes of fighting Khabib vanished when the Dagestani retired in October 2020. The inability to test himself against the best, and to know how he stacked up in his prime, will forever be a thorn in Ferguson’s side. 

In tandem with the principles instilled within him, is the injustice that Ferguson has been subject to. That is the paradox which El Cucuy finds himself in. And that is why fans will see him fight again in the Global Fight League.