Chael Sonnen calls for Tony Ferguson’s retirement “win or lose” at UFC Abu Dhabi, shares recent talk with his father

UFC Hall of Famer Chael Sonnen wants to see Tony Ferguson hang up the gloves this weekend, regardless of the fight result.

Ferguson will face fellow The Ultimate Fighter winner Michael Chiesa on Saturday at UFC Abu Dhabi. He returns to welterweight to potentially win his first fight in five years.

Ferguson has lost seven consecutive fights since defeating Donald Cerrone at UFC 238. During his losing skid, many pundits and fans have called for the 40-year-old Ferguson to retire, including UFC CEO Dana White.

Sonnen, a former teammate of Ferguson, wants to see the UFC fan favorite walk away from the cage, regardless if he defeats Chiesa or not. He thinks Ferguson should prioritize his long-term health over continuing to compete against the best fighters in the world.

Chael Sonnen hopeful that Tony Ferguson retires after UFC Abu Dhabi

During a recent episode of Good Guy/Bad Guy, Sonnen weighed in on Ferguson’s potential UFC finale.

“I had a chance to speak with someone really close to Tony Ferguson, who was Tony’s father,” Sonnen said. “When I spoke to Mr. Ferguson, and this was just prior to his last fight, and it’s not what you would think.  His father was very aware, in support for his son, and he’s had these same conversations with him. He shared this very candidly, this wasn’t private…I’d kind of like to see it be his last fight [at UFC Abu Dhabi]… Iron sharpens iron, that’s true, but iron dulls iron as well…

“[Tony] worked so hard to a level that I told myself ‘If that’s what it takes to be great, I’m going to have to find something else to do’. And I only share that with you because you only have so many in the chamber, so many rounds you can fire, and a lot of times you will use those in the gym,” Sonnen continued. “I just think that Tony Ferguson, I don’t think he’s abused his body, he’s used his body, I don’t think he abused his career…I would like to see him call it a day and be able to live with the result, whether it’s for him or against him.”

Ferguson is one of the greatest UFC lightweights of all time with wins over the likes of Rafael dos Anjos, Anthony Pettis, and Edson Barboza. He made his UFC debut in 2011 after winning the TUF 13 tournament.

Ferguson is likely on the last leg of his combat sports career, and Sonnen wants to see the UFC star walk away and transition to the next chapter of his life.