Tony Ferguson reflects on brutal departure from the UFC: “It was the hardest f*cking thing I had to do”

Former interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson has opened up on the end of his UFC tenure.

‘El Cucuy’ last appeared in the cage at UFC Abu Dhabi in August against Michael Chiesa. Leading into the event, Tony Ferguson had suffered seven straight losses, several of which were lopsided. Due to the losing streak, Dana White declared that the former champion’s bout against Chiesa would be his last in the company regardless of the result.

Sadly for ‘El Cucuy’, he was handed a first-round submission loss by ‘The Maverick’ last summer. Despite teasing retirement following the defeat, Tony Ferguson has instead vowed to fight on. The 41-year-old is currently expected to face Dillon Danis in his Global Fight League debut in Los Angeles on May 11th.

Appearing on The Ariel Helwani Show earlier today, Tony Ferguson discussed his return. During the interview, the lightweight discussed the end of his UFC tenure, and the emotional toll it took on him. While Ferguson is aware that he’s suffered a lot of defeats as of late, it still wasn’t easy to accept that he had to move on.

RELATED: UFC LEGEND RICH FRANKLIN SHOWS INTEREST IN POTENTIAL COMEBACK: “UNDER THE RIGHT CIRCUMSTANCE…”

“I have to tell you, I packed up all my UFC stuff, I put it in bags, and it was the hardest fucking thing I had to do. It was a couple of days where it took time for me to be able to adjust… I was ready to move on.”

Tony Ferguson on the end of his journey with UFC. pic.twitter.com/gloBhhQEBh

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) March 3, 2025

Tony Ferguson opens up on brutal end to UFC tenure ahead of GFL debut

“I have to tell you, I packed up all my UFC stuff and put it into bags. It was the hardest f*cking thing I had to do.” Tony Ferguson stated to Ariel Helwani earlier today. “It was a couple of days where it took time for me to be able to adjust. I put everything in big storage bags and I was ready to move on… This entire process hasn’t been a disappointment, but it has been a learning experience.”

He continued, “One, about how I go about my business. Two, about how I treat my close circle. Three, about how I want to plan for the future. Right now, where we’re at in this stage, it’s so amazing that there is an opportunity for a lot of other people to display their things and new clothes and a new jersey, and new name on the shirt. It’s such a relief to move on. No bad blood anywhere, but I think this is great.”

For what it’s worth, Tony Ferguson is not planning on retiring anytime soon. While ‘El Cucuy’ is set to compete in the Global Fight League later this year, he’s also shown interest in a move to the boxing ring to face KSI. ‘The Nightmare’ is currently set to meet Dillon Danis at Misfits 21 later this month.

What do you make of these comments from the former interim UFC champion? Do you think Tony Ferguson will beat Dillon Danis later this year?