Tony Ferguson continues hinting at move to welterweight

Tony Ferguson at UFC 262 [Image via Getty]

Tony Ferguson has mainly competed in the lightweight division throughout the course of his UFC career. The former interim 155-pound champion is now open to the idea of a move up to welterweight.

The California native posted a reply to MMA Fighting’s Instagram post comprising Leon Edwards' quote about Kamaru Usman wanting to fight Canelo Alvarez. In the comments section, Ferguson wrote:

"Welterweight sounds fun…- Champ 🏋️‍♂️ -CSO- 🇺🇸🏆"

Tony Ferguson's reply to MMA Fighting Instagram post

Ferguson is coming off the most devastating loss of his professional career. At UFC 274 in May, 'El Cucuy' was viciously knocked out by former Bellator champion Michael Chandler, marking his fourth defeat on the bounce.

This Michael Chandler knockout of Tony Ferguson is one of the nastiest knockouts I’ve ever seen. The front kick from hell. #UFC274 https://t.co/G5gJkghIOC

A week after his loss to Chandler, Ferguson claimed that he wouldn't mind moving up to welterweight, citing how the cut down to 155 pounds makes him "lose a lot of muscle mass." He told MMA Junkie:

“I wouldn’t mind going back up to 170. I knocked everybody out up there at 170. This cut to 155, it’s not too hard, but I lose a lot of muscle mass, man. I f*****g hate being skinny like that, I look like a little b***h, I don’t f*****g like that. I work my ass off to put on muscle and make sure that I eat right, and I do that. And my pops always told me, 'Anthony, wrestle at your own bodyweight.' And I haven’t done that for a while. What I did for the last year and a half was, I just stopped everything and I just paid attention to everything other people were doing.”

Watch Tony Ferguson's interview with MMA Junkie below:

Tony Ferguson’s run as a welterweight on The Ultimate Fighter

‘El Cucuy’ began his professional MMA career as a welterweight and was quite successful as he even won a regional title at 170 pounds. This prompted him to be invited to participate in season 13 of The Ultimate Fighter, where he was drafted into Brock Lesnar's team.

Thanks to his unique personality and entertaining style of fighting, Ferguson quickly became a fan favorite. In the first round of the TUF tournament, he defeated Justin Edwards by first-round knockout and followed it up with a win over Ryan McGillivray.

In the semifinals, he stopped Chuck O’Neill with a third-round TKO finish. In the finals, he scored another first-round knockout by defeating Ramsey Nijem to earn a six-figure contract with the UFC.

CSO 🕶🏆

[ @TonyFergusonXT | The Ultimate Fighter returns May 3rd on @ESPNPlus ] https://t.co/edP5BawJOh