Tony Ferguson suffered his seventh consecutive defeat after facing Paddy Pimblett at UFC 296. During the bout, Pimblett came close to finishing “El Cucuy” within the first round, but after Ferguson somehow stood his ground, “The Baddy” adjusted his tactics for more effort. Despite surviving Pimblett’s early attack, Ferguson found himself on the ground repeatedly in the later rounds, struggling to escape or secure a submission to break his losing streak. Although the British fighter won by unanimous decision, he showed signs of fatigue in the third round.
White talked about Ferguson
UFC President Dana White talked about Ferguson during the UFC 296 post-fight press conference and said, “I would love to see Tony retire.” He highlighted Ferguson’s previous defeats in the UFC and emphasized that despite the defeat, Ferguson displayed consistent resiliency and toughness from the first second of each fight to the last. However, White said this flexibility was lacking in Ferguson’s recent clash with Paddy Pimblett at UFC 296.
White assessed that the quality of opponents Ferguson faced was a significant factor in his losing streak. He acknowledged Tony’s toughness and expressed concern over how he looked in the Pimblett fight, suggesting it could be an indicator for Ferguson.
“When you talk about a skid right, you also look at the guys he fought. That plays a factor in that and what he looked like up until his loss.”? Tony tonight looked like he should retire.”
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As of the post-fight conference, the UFC president has not yet spoken to Ferguson about his future plans, leaving it uncertain whether Ferguson wants to continue competing. White shared his opinion that, based on recent performances, Ferguson should seriously consider retiring from the sport. He expressed respect for Tony’s warrior spirit but also conveyed a desire to see him retire, saying that this is where his views are leaning.
Tony has been an absolute warrior and dog in this sport. I don’t want to disrespect him by talking publicly about him retiring, but I would love to see him retire. That’s really where my head’s at.”
Tony was once on a 12-fight winning streak
Ferguson’s losing streak began after getting defeated by Justin Gaethje at UFC 249 by TKO. After this, Tony lost two bouts via unanimous decision to Charles Oliveira and Beneil Dariush and then a KO loss to Michael Chandler in 2022, a submission by Nate Diaz later that year. This year, he lost to Bobby Green via submission and now, most recently, to Pimblett. There was a time when Ferguson was on a 12 fight winning streak, but a sudden wave of defeats started for him and he is still searching for a comeback bout.
