Tony Ferguson is starting a new chapter in his combat sports career, which is boxing, after departing from the UFC earlier this year. In his illustrious 14-year run in the promotion, ‘El Cucuy’ became one of the top fighters during his prime, winning the interim lightweight title along the way. But there were a few things that could not materialize, including some big fights and winning the undisputed belt.

Moreover, the way Tony Ferguson‘s career ended in Dana White‘s promotion, where he succumbed to an 8-fight losing streak, wasn’t a good one either. However, the former interim champion shared a surprising statement about his UFC journey, comparing it to a popular video game franchise that has made over $3.4 billion in sales, according to reports.

Tony Ferguson compares his UFC career to the Legend of Zelda

The former interim champion claims that being a fighter and being a gamer are somewhat the same thing. How? Well, he explained playing a video game, the Legend of Zelda series in his case, and finishing the story campaign and the side quests that come with it. With time and experience, players get better at the game, which is the same for a fighter who evolves with each passing year and each passing fight to become a better version of themselves.

For Tony Ferguson, he believes that missing out on certain things in his UFC career, like the five-time canceled fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov, or winning the undisputed belt, isn’t that big of a deal. ‘El Cucuy’ believes he has done more than enough in terms of achieving what he wanted in the biggest MMA promotion in the world.

“You’re a gamer, and when it goes into it, you collect all these side quests, like the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time or you go back in there, you’re playing Breath of the Wild,” Tony Ferguson told MMA Fighting during a recent interview. “You go and you beat the game and you go back and collect everything. You go in, and there you just buck it. So, like that, it goes all the way to 100 percent. I got maybe like 98 percent when it comes to the UFC, collecting coins and s–t.”

But even after completing almost all the quests in the UFC, Tony Ferguson is still a competitive soul, and he isn’t treating his boxing match at MF & DAZN X Series 22: Ring of Thrones as not being a serious fight. And guess what? He’s also got something to show when he locks horns with Salt Papi.

Ferguson wants to show his skill set on his boxing debut

‘El Cucuy’ is not focused on the past and is embracing what lies ahead of him, which is his boxing endeavor. He’s going to fight Salt Papi, a TikTok influencer with six knockout wins, and it may not be an easy fight, considering Tony Ferguson is 41 years old and has never boxed before. But the former UFC champion is not worried about that and is instead waiting to show what he can do inside the squared circle.

Moreover, Salt Papi recently mentioned that he’s expecting a great fight with Tony Ferguson, as it is his biggest fight ever. And ‘El Cucuy’ is ready to show what he’s got to offer the influencer. “This is a new time for me to be able to go out and demonstrate what I know, which is experience in athletics, to be able to put on shoes, don’t worry about anything else besides throwing f—ing hands and making sure I show up on Fight Night,” Ferguson added.

Well, the tail-end of his UFC career did not go the way he planned, so now, we need to wait and see if boxing turns out to be the same. Nevertheless, Tony Ferguson will always remain a part of UFC history, so let us know what you think of his career in the promotion. Drop your comments below.