Tony Ferguson confirms he’s not retired, announces plans for early 2025 UFC return: “F*ck no I’m not retiring!”
Former UFC interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson isn’t done quite yet.
‘El Cucuy’ has been out of the cage since a trip to Abu Dhabi in August. Back for the first time since a unanimous decision loss to Paddy Pimblett in December, Tony Ferguson faced fellow veteran Michael Chiesa. Ahead of the bout, Dana White stated that the 40-year-old would have to retire afterward, win or lose.
Ultimately, it took only one round for ‘The Maverick’ to secure a quick submission win. Post-fight, Tony Ferguson seemingly kept good to his word, dropping a glove on the canvas and giving an emotional retirement speech. However, he instantly reversed course. In his post-fight press conference, Ferguson vowed to fight on.
Now, Tony Ferguson has opened up on his MMA future. Speaking in a recent appearance on Demetrious Johnson‘s YouTube channel, ‘El Cucuy’ was asked about fighting again. There, the 40-year-old stated that he had no intention of retiring. While he has no plans to fight again in 2024, Ferguson plans to get the ball rolling in 2025.
Tony Ferguson says he’s NOT retired:
“We’re gonna take the rest of this season and figure some things out and we’re coming back hard either January or February… I’m too old to retire.”
🎥 YT / @MightyMouse #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/bKOJIgD6O4
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) October 14, 2024
UFC welterweight Tony Ferguson vows to fight on despite active eight-fight losing streak
“We’re probably going to take the rest of this season and figure some things out. We’re coming back hard either January or February.” Tony Ferguson stated, when asked about a UFC return. “Stay tuned. F*ck no, I’m not retiring. I’m too old to retire! At 40 years old, I’m halfway to 80, I’ve been competing since I was five years old playing different sports. It’s not that I don’t know anything else, I do.”
He continued, “I’m still able to compete. When somebody can run a sprint faster than me, I think I’ll start to consider it. But what I really need is to find that coaching and that discipline around other people, being uncomfortable in practice so you’re not miserable during the fight… Instead of getting excited and jumping at anything I want, I’ll make the phone call to Dana and tell him ‘Look, I’m looking for a fight’.”
While Tony Ferguson plans to contact Dana White when he wants to fight, it’s unclear if ‘El Cucuy’ is even under a UFC contract. Following the 40-year-old’s loss in August, the promoter confirmed plans to release the fan-favorite fighter.
What do you make of these comments from the UFC welterweight? Do you want to see Tony Ferguson fight again?
