UFC 262 is an event that means so much more for Tony Ferguson. It’s not just about winning for the American. For him, it all rides on this fight.
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He has lost two fights in a row after being on an incredible run of 12 successive wins. He lost the interim lightweight belt that would’ve guaranteed him a title shot against the former champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.
However, if he gets a chance, he usually does find a way. Ferguson is facing Beneil Dariush in the co-main event of UFC 262 in a bid to get back to winning ways and insert himself in the conversation for a title shot.
He talked to the media before the fight and explained how he had been mistreated by the UFC in an interview with ESPN MMA.
Ferguson said, “I saw my career going towards a certain thing because nobody was pushing me, nobody was encouraging me. You can get treated like s*** like how the UFC treated me for the longest time, right?
“I still haven’t got a title fight, but I’m still showing up. You’re taking my title. You’re taking the numbers on my check,” he added. He also said that UFC doesn’t care about his family or anything and that it was a joke to everybody else.
Tony Ferguson says that he doesn’t need a 12 fight win streak.
“It’s a joke. Not to me, I’m here. I’m trying to earn it. Look, I don’t need a 12 fight win streak,” he said. Ferguson was incensed at the fact that the UFC overlooked him during the entirety of his 12 fight win streak.
Normally, a fighter would be guaranteed a title shot after 7 or 8 wins in a row. However, this wasn’t the case for Ferguson, and he is yet to fight for the title.
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JACKSONVILLE, FL – MAY 09: Tony Ferguson (L) of the United States looks to punch Justin Gaethje (R) of the United States in their Interim lightweight title fight during UFC 249 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena on May 9, 2020, in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
Ferguson took great offense at the fact that Oliveira and Michael Chandler were getting to fight for the title before him. He said, “Charles Oliveira is getting a title shot before me. Chandler’s getting a title shot before me. Where’s the fairness in that, right?”
In the end, ‘El Cucuy’ concluded by demanding more regulations for the sport. He felt that the UFC had wronged him and that things would be better if it became an Olympic sport. It all seems to boil down to this fight for Ferguson, and the fans will be looking on with great interest to see how he fares.
Do you think Tony Ferguson will get back to winning ways?
Read More: Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson: How the Rivalry Boils Down to One Epic Showdown
