Ex-UFC champion discusses what could prompt Tony Ferguson's retirement: "We're nearing the end"
While Tony Ferguson was once among the most feared fighters in UFC, his career has since seen a colossal decline. Now on a seven-fight skid, many believe 'El Cucuy's' fighting days are coming to an end.
However, Daniel Cormier is convinced that Ferguson will never take the call to leave the sport on his own accord. Talking to Chael Sonnen on Good Guy / Bad Guy podcast, the former UFC two-division champion opined:
"I do kind of think we are nearing the end. I don't think Tony will be a guy though, that volunteers to go away. I think that decisions is going to have to be made for him by someone else. I mean, the UFC or he gets put out so bad that his family goes, 'there is no more fighting for you Tony.'"
Catch Daniel Cormier's comments below (20:50):
Ferguson's decline was something few expected. Few fans would've forgotten the monstrous 12-fight win streak he raked up from 2013 to 2019, during which he took out the likes of Anthony Pettis, Donald Cerrone, and Rafael dos Anjos.
During the late 2010s, many believed Ferguson would be the one to break Khabib Nurmagomedov's unbeaten run. However, all came crashing down after 'El Cucuy's' TKO loss to Justin Gaethje at UFC 249 in 2020. He has not won a fight since that fateful night.
Ferguson will next be seen against Michael Chiesa at this weekend's UFC on ABC 7. Many believe that a loss this time around would prompt the world's premier MMA promotion to part ways with him.
Watch Tony Ferguson and Michael Chiesa make weight below:
Tony Ferguson brushes off retirement talk
With no wins in more than four years, many in the fight community are hoping for Tony Ferguson to retire soon. However, it looks like 'El Cucuy' has other plans.
When he was quizzed on whether this weekend would be his swansong, the 40-year-old quickly dispelled retirement rumors, saying:
"No [this is not my last fight], I have this game plan. As soon as I get done here, I'm going to study. So I just got done with an hour and a half of cardio. It was 20 [minutes of] bike, 20 tread [mills], 20 elliptical, and 20 on row. And then before that, I did 18 rounds [of sparring], so my body is activated. So [Michael] Chiesa is going to have his hands full."
Catch Tony Ferguson's comments below: