Tony Ferguson Credits Misfits Boxing for Fulfilling His ‘Dream’ That UFC Couldn’t

Tony Ferguson spent over a decade chasing the dream of becoming a UFC champion. But his eight-fight losing streak left that ambition unfulfilled. It turns out that wasn’t the only goal he carried during his time in Dana White’s promotion. While that chapter closed last year, the former interim lightweight champion has now started a new journey! And he couldn’t thank Misfits enough for giving him the chance to pursue it. But that begs the question: what exactly is it?

Nearly a year after leaving the UFC, ‘El Cucuy’ is set to make his return to action. This time, it won’t be inside the Octagon, but in the boxing ring against Salt Papi at MF & DAZN X Series 22. Their clash goes down on August 30 in Manchester, with the MFB Interim Middleweight Title on the line. So, for Ferguson, the dream of finally strapping on a belt feels closer than ever. And it seems that traveling the world with Misfits has already checked off a bucket-list goal of his.

Tony Ferguson thanks Misfits for letting him travel the world

During an interview with Seconds Out, Ferguson said, “To be in a different country is something I’ve always wanted to do—to travel the world. Where I was with the UFC, it was very unlikely for me to travel since it was always in the US. Before that, I went to Canada and Mexico, which was cool. But within the last two months, I went to Phuket, Thailand, and I’ve been there twice. I also went to London and a few other places. Just filling up my passport and being able to take my family along has been pretty cool, man.. That’s something everybody wants to dream of.”

‘El Cucuy’ was one of the star American fighters White often placed on the country’s biggest cards, which meant he was rarely seen competing abroad. Although he did fight outside the U.S. on a couple of occasions, the most notable were his clash with Rafael dos Anjos at UFC Fight Night 98 in Mexico City back in 2016, and much later, his final UFC bout against Michael Chiesa in Abu Dhabi in 2024. Other than these two occasions, the UFC veteran spent his almost fifteen years with the promotion fighting entirely in the US.

So yes, for a traveler like him, stepping out of the U.S. and competing in the U.K., where the fight is set to take place, might feel like a dream come true. Something he didn’t get to experience often during his UFC run. However, if he ever makes a return to his old promotion, Dana White might even consider sending Ferguson to Ireland or Russia for a very enticing reason.

‘El Cucuy’ calls out Khabib and Conor

Tony Ferguson’s UFC return might be a dream for some fans, while others feel they’d rather not see him back in the Octagon after leaving on a record losing streak. Still, that hasn’t stopped him from once again calling out his two biggest rivals—Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor.

Adding to the Seconds out interview, ‘El Cucuy’ said, “I mean, the only fight [in the UFC] I’d wanna be able to do would be either Conor or ‘Khabib.’ You know? When he’s done with his world tour. We’ve got some unfinished business, but I don’t think that they would ever fight me.”

McGregor once teased a fight with Ferguson right after winning the belt, even posting a picture on Instagram captioned “Tony.” As for Khabib, the fight was canceled five different times, and it remains one of the biggest what-ifs in UFC history. Both would’ve been money and legacy fights and stellar opportunities Ferguson never got to capitalize on. So, it’s only natural that he still feels a little salty about it.

With that being said, do you think Tony Ferguson could ever make a UFC comeback, even if he beats Salt Papi convincingly in the boxing ring? Comment down below!