Eddie Bravo admits he “froze” in Tony Ferguson corner: “I shouldn’t have been in there”

Renowned BJJ coach Eddie Bravo says he “froze” in Tony Ferguson’s corner during the UFC 249 main event.

Ferguson battled Justin Gaethje for the interim lightweight title in the card’s headliner. Despite entering the fight on a borderline preposterous 12-fight win-streak, Ferguson experienced a lopsided beatdown in this title fight, and was ultimately stopped in the fifth round.

Speaking on a recent edition of the Joe Rogan Experience, Bravo admitted that his first issue in terms of coaching Ferguson surrounded his vision. His glasses had been stolen from his car just prior to the fight, and he had difficulty seeing the action as a result.

When he finally did enter the cage to corner Ferguson, subbing in for another one of Ferguson’s coaches, he says he “froze,” and didn’t feel like he should be in there.

“My car got broken into last week, they stole my glasses. I need my glasses, I’m pretty blind,” Bravo said (transcript via MMA Mania). “So I didn’t realize how cut up [Ferguson] was until I walked up to him. It was a mistake for me to go in there. He’s hurt, he’s cut up, a lot of things are swirling through my head. ‘What is the best advice here? I need help’. I froze. And it’s so quiet. I dunno. I froze. I’ve never been in that situation before in my life. I’m not the guy for that, I shouldn’t have been in there.

“Rashad Holloway is his boxing coach, and Billy [Fonua] is his Muay Thai coach,” the Ferguson BJJ coach added. “So one of them went in, I’m on the outside, I’ve got nothing to say. All I had to say is, ‘Tony, you’re looking good.’ But after that fourth round it was looking like, ‘Oh shit,’ then right after the bell rung Rashad turns around and goes, ‘Eddie, get in there’. I wasn’t ready for it. I walked in there going, ‘What the … I’m not an MMA head coach.'”

What do you think of these comments from the Tony Ferguson coach?