Sep 10, 2022; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Nate Diaz (red gloves) fights Tony Ferguson (blue gloves) during UFC 279 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

mma

From UFC Downfall To Misfits Glory – Tony Ferguson Snaps 8-Fight Losing Streak!

Sep 10, 2022; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Nate Diaz (red gloves) fights Tony Ferguson (blue gloves) during UFC 279 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Combat sports can be brutally unforgiving to aging fighters who refuse to accept reality. Fans have watched legendary careers end in devastating fashion countless times before. The sport has a way of exposing every weakness and making former champions look ordinary against younger, hungrier competition. Tony Ferguson’s story seemed destined to follow this familiar pattern of decline and heartbreak. The man known as ‘El Cucuy’ had terrorized the UFC lightweight division for years with his relentless pressure, creative striking, and seemingly endless cardio. His twelve fight winning streak from 2013 to 2019 made him one of the most feared fighters on the planet.

But then everything fell apart in spectacular fashion, turning Ferguson from destroyer to victim almost overnight. His eight fight losing streak in the UFC became one of the most painful storylines in modern MMA history. Fans watched helplessly as their former hero got systematically dismantled by a parade of opponents who seemed to have figured out his weaknesses. Each loss looked worse than the last, raising serious questions about whether Ferguson should continue fighting at all. Many assumed Ferguson would quietly retire and fade into obscurity, another cautionary tale about staying too long in a young man’s game.

Tony Ferguson’s Nightmare UFC Losing Streak

Ferguson’s downfall began with Justin Gaethje’s brutal beating at UFC 249 in May 2020. That fight marked the beginning of the end for Ferguson’s career. Gaethje systematically broke down ‘El Cucuy’ over five rounds, landing clean shots that exposed defensive holes that had never been there before. The interim lightweight title fight was supposed to be Ferguson’s coronation after years of waiting for his shot. Instead, it became the start of a nightmare that would define the final chapter of his UFC career. Ferguson never looked the same after absorbing that kind of punishment from Gaethje’s precise counter-striking.

Justin Gaethje countering Tony Ferguson's entries at UFC 249 pic.twitter.com/CcwTa7ECbb
— Joanna Dangerfield 🏳️‍⚧️ (@joannadangerfd) September 24, 2024

The losses that followed painted a picture of a fighter whose skills had completely eroded. Charles Oliveira dominated him on the ground at UFC 256. Beneil Dariush repeated the performance months later, showing that Ferguson’s once dangerous ground game had become a liability.

May 7th 2022 – UFC 274

Michael Chandler KOs Tony Ferguson for the first time in his career via Nasty Front Kick.
The moment we all froze.. pic.twitter.com/nb35xetJZs
— Veluta (@VelutaMMA) December 8, 2023

Michael Chandler delivered perhaps the most devastating blow with a front kick knockout that left Ferguson unconscious for the first time in his career. The image of Ferguson lying motionless on the canvas became symbolic of how far he had fallen from his championship-level days. Subsequent losses to Nate Diaz, Bobby Green, Paddy Pimblett, and Michael Chiesa only made things worse, each defeat more demoralizing than the last. Finally, the UFC had enough and removed him from the roster.

Tony Ferguson Finds Redemption In Misfits Boxing

Ferguson’s move to Misfits Boxing represented his last chance to prove he could still compete in any combat sport. The 41 year old veteran faced Nathaniel ‘Salt Papi’ Bustamante at Misfits 22 in Manchester, fighting for an interim middleweight championship that honestly did not carry UFC prestige but meant everything to Ferguson’s legacy.

The early rounds didn’t look promising as Bustamante picked him apart with clean left hands and slick counter punching. Ferguson looked like the same fighter who had struggled during his UFC losing streak, unable to implement his game plan effectively against a much younger opponent.

But something clicked for Ferguson in the final round that hadn’t been there for years. His old pressure fighting style suddenly started working again as he backed Salt Papi into the corners and unleashed dangerous combinations. The finish came with just twenty seconds left in the third round when Ferguson overwhelmed his opponent with a barrage of punches that forced the referee to stop the contest.

TONY FERGUSON GETS AN EARLY STOPPAGE AGAINST SALT PAPI, DEFEATING HIS 8 LOSS STREAK! 🤯 #Misfits22 pic.twitter.com/T9inLs64WB
— Combat Media (@CombatMedias) August 30, 2025

Ferguson’s celebration was pure emotion as he realized he had finally broken the curse that had haunted him for 6 years since 2019! The victory might have come in a different sport against lesser competition, but it proved that Ferguson still had some fight left in his aging body!

(Image Credit: Joe Camporeale – Imagn Images)

Misfits Boxing

Salt Papi

Tony Ferguson

Zaid Quraishi

mma

I am a dedicated MMA and Boxing content writer at The Playoffs. I was instantly hooked on MMA after watching the fight between Lyoto Machida vs. Gegard Mousasi back in 2014, and since then, i have been an avid writer with a deep love for the sport and its techniques, providing readers with a thorough understanding of the sport. My favorite aspect of working at The Playoffs is the creative freedom it provides. The diverse range of topics, from listicles and SEO to news articles, keeps me engaged and motivates me to continuously improve my skills! I aim to capture the excitement of the combat sports world in my writing, acting as the middleman between fighters and their die-hard fans. It is kind of like a referee, but with words!