Dillon Danis shares one-word reaction to Tony Ferguson moving up a weight class to fight Michael Chiesa
The big news of former interim UFC lightweight champion Tony Ferguson making his return to face Michael Chiesa at welterweight had the MMA community buzzing. Fans and fellow fighters are reacting in various ways, including BJJ/MMA personality Dillon Danis.
The American grappling star had a one-word comment on 'El Cucuy' facing 'The Maverick' at UFC Abu Dhabi on August 3. ESPN reported the official announcement of the bout on Instagram, saying:
"Tony Ferguson will move up to 170 lbs to take on Michael Chiesa at #UFCAbuDhabi on Aug 3, Dana White confirmed."
Danis, who is a former International Brazilian Jiu-jitsu Federation (IBJJF) brown belt world champion and MMA fighter, expressed disappointment of the booking with a single word:
Danis' somber reaction may have been motivated by the fact that Tony Ferguson is coming off a dismal 7-fight losing streak. Chiesa, who himself is on a skid, is a natural welterweight and fought a significant part of his career in the division. At least from an odds point-of-view, we can understand why fans of 'El Cucuy' aren't very excited about this announcement.
Tony Ferguson is in a unique spot in UFC history, but not in the best way
Ferguson is a peculiar story in MMA as he is at a place where, no matter what happens to his latter career, his fanbase and legacy will always be intact. It doesn't feel good, though, to witness him suffer loss after loss for many years - considering his legendary undefeated run in the UFC lightweight division from 2013 to 2019.
'El Cucuy' compiled a 12-fight winning streak, tying the divisional record with - get this - lightweight GOAT Khabib Nurmagomedov and divisional kingpin Islam Makhachev. Ferguson is in that rarified air.
Conversely, though, he also tied the record for the longest losing streak in UFC history with seven. Again, very difficult spot.
But if there's one good takeaway from this, it's the fact that despite seven straight losses, Ferguson is still in the UFC. In a leading promotion where fighters can get cut by losing just one or two fights, Tony Ferguson's iconic career and staying power makes fans rally by his side and watch him do what he loves to do.