UFC veteran and former interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson is going through a torrid time. He has now lost three fights on the trot after racking up 12 wins in a row previously. Fergusonâs latest loss against Beneil Dariush would hurt him the most as it came against a less profile fighter compared to other losses.
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After the loss, various fighters and fans alike have doubted his continuity for the promotion. Ferguson though, took to Twitter to give an update about his plans for retirement. The former interim champion gleefully denied quitting the promotion quoting Adam Sandlerâs classic comedy, Happy Gilmore.
He wrote, âIt Ainât Over Yet Mcgavinâ, The Way I See It ⌠Weâve Only Just Begun. -Happy Gilmore Retire & Give These MFâs A Break!? No, Not On My Watch. Now Iâm Pissed.  -CSO-  Thank you Hardcore For Picking Me Up When I Was Down- Champ  # FindingMyHappyPlace # GoldJacketâ
Ferguson entered his match against Dariush, hoping to secure a dominant victory. But little did he know Dariush would prove out to be a tough nut to crack for him.
Dariush started the match with some hard-hitting punches and dangerous leg kicks. Shortly, he turned for grappling and was successful as took Ferguson down on the canvas with a perfect takedown.
More grappling followed the suit in the second round. Ferguson in between applied Dâarce choke during a takedown, but the Assyrian was quick to escape and again caught Ferguson with punch combos.
Dariush then caught Ferguson in a tangle with a heel hook. Any other fighter could have tapped in seconds but there is no quit in Ferguson. In the third round, Dariush won a takedown and held control thereafter to finally hand Ferguson his third straight loss, this time via unanimous decision.
Quitting doesnât exist for Tony Ferguson
During the second round, Dariush had locked in the heel hook submission. He applied full torque with duress over the heel and anyone could have said how painful it was for Ferguson to endure it.
But there is no tapping word installed in Fergusonâs body and mind. He endured it and finally broke through it. This even made Dariush term âEl Cucuyâ as âZombieâ after the fight.
HOW'D HE ESCAPE?! 𤯠#UFC262
This is not the first time. Charles Oliveira (the new lightweight kingpin) had caught âEl Cucuyâ in a similarly brutal submission via armbar at UFC 256.
How did @TonyFergusonXT not tap to this armbar by @CharlesDoBronxs?! 𤯠#UFC256 âśď¸ ES.PN/UFC256TW
Oliveira had hyper-extended Fergusonâs arm, which came close to splitting in two. However, Ferguson dumbfounded everyone, even Dana White and commentators by refusing to tap till the round culminated.
It isnât the end of the road for Ferguson by any stretch of the imagination. But he needs to go back to the drawing board and lay a proper plan to return to winning ways. At 37, things are not looking good for him going ahead and the title challenge looks glim too.
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