Tony Ferguson begrudgingly announces semi-retirement by putting one-glove down following eighth consecutive loss at UFC Abu Dhabi

At UFC Abu Dhabi, Tony Ferguson begrudgingly announced his semi-retirement from MMA following his eighth consecutive Octagon loss. Despite the announcement, it remains unclear whether 'El Cucuy' will entertain an offer to fight for another promotion.

The 40-year-old was submitted by Michael Chiesa via rear-naked choke at 3:44 of the first round on Saturday night. Ahead of the bout, 'El Cucuy' stated that he felt recharged.

During his post-fight interview with Daniel Cormier, the former interim lightweight champion put one glove on the octagon mat. Ferguson admitted he didn't want to retire, but mentioned that he doesn't want to compete elsewhere. He said:

"I don't want to retire, I really don't, but I love the UFC, and I don't want to go anywhere else. So I'm not going to put both gloves down. I'm gonna put one. And I'm gonna keep the other one just in case. I'm going to go home, I'm going to talk to my wife, I'm going to give my kids a big a** hug, I'm going to enjoy the rest of the stay here in Abu Dhabi."

Check out Tony Ferguson's comments below:

Michael Chiesa shows respect to Tony Ferguson following submission win

Michael Chiesa showed a massive sign of respect toward Tony Ferguson following his submission win at UFC Abu Dhabi.

During his post-fight interview with Daniel Cormier, Chiesa noted he had a lot to say, but he wanted to give 'El Cucuy' the microphone so he could announce his retirement. The victorious 'Maverick' said:

"[The win] feels really good, 'DC'. There's so much stuff I want to say. It's been a long road to get back in the win column. But this microphone belongs to Tony Ferguson."

Check out the full post-fight interview below: