Tony Ferguson just lost his seventh fight in a row and perhaps now, fans are preparing for the one thing they feared most. Will the legend retire? ‘El Cucuy’ made a name out of himself for his ferociousness and a spirit that never gives up. But it always hurts when your heroes lose.
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Now, a career that spans over a decade has Ferguson looking at the twilight of his legacy. Every time Ferguson loses, it appears as if a piece of him is gone. And this is something his wife noticed well ahead of his UFC 296 bout. Will the star retire now?
Tony Ferguson opens up on thoughtful message from wife
Paddy Pimblett paid his respects to his opponent every single chance he got. Whether it was the post-fight interview or in the press conference right after. Pimblett ensured Ferguson’s legend status was acknowledged in full force. He also went on to say: “He can retire on his own back when he wants to.” However, Dana White, on the other hand, would “love” for ‘El Cucuy’ to call it quits.
Ferguson has reflected upon it himself. A fighter as experienced as him, there’s no way he hasn’t already thought about it looking down a seven-fight losing streak. In fact, his wife made perhaps the most important point about it. Here’s what he said in a presser.
“She sent me a text and it hit home,” he said. “Where she said, ‘you’re not smiling anymore, in practice. I don’t see you smile in practice. I don’t see you smiling at your fights. I don’t see you having fun anymore.’ But it wasn’t, it wasn’t ‘Are you sure you wanna do this?'”
Ferguson admitted that he had no words for her. He was at a loss for an explanation because a part of him knew that his wife, Cristina Servin, was right. And now, more than ever, perhaps it’s important to decide whether he keeps going or looks back to a fanbase that still adores ‘El Cucuy’ no matter how it ends. Does it prompt the question, how does it end?
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Backbreaking loss at UFC 296
The loss can only be considered backbreaking because Ferguson had his hopes held high. He trained with none other than David Goggins and went through hell just to lose to a unanimous decision against Paddy Pimblett. One could say ‘El Cucuy’ gave his all this time.
Was he hanging on by a string? A question with debatable answers. His training certainly showed in his strikes and defense, but Ferguson struggled on the ground as Pimblett tried to submit him relentlessly. While a submission never came through. Paddy ‘The Baddy’ was still on top most of the time.
In the end, while Ferguson showed improvement, it just wasn’t good enough. So is it time for him to really retire? What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments.
Also Read: All We Know About Tony Ferguson and His Time at Harvard University? What Did the UFC Veteran Study?
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Edited by
Yeswanth Praveen