Jul 29, 2023; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Tony Ferguson (red gloves) fights Bobby Green (blue gloves) during UFC 291 at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports

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Tony Ferguson Finally Explains What Really Caused His 8-Fight Losing Streak

Jul 29, 2023; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Tony Ferguson (red gloves) fights Bobby Green (blue gloves) during UFC 291 at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports

There was a time when Tony Ferguson was the boogeyman of the lightweight division. ‘El Cucuy’ had this aura that made even the toughest fighters nervous. He was unorthodox, unpredictable, and seemingly indestructible. The UFC interim lightweight champion looked unstoppable heading into 2020.

Then something changed. Ferguson went from feared contender to punching bag almost overnight. 8 straight losses followed, each one more painful to watch than the last. Fans couldn’t understand what happened to the fighter who once seemed invincible. Now Tony Ferguson finally explains what really caused his devastating collapse, and the truth is dark.

Tony Ferguson Reveals The Injury That Changed Everything

Ferguson’s downfall started with the Justin Gaethje fight that replaced his cancelled Khabib bout. What fans didn’t know was the physical hell he went through just to make that fight happen. He cut weight twice, once for the original date scrapped by COVID and again for the actual weigh-in. His body paid a brutal price for that sacrifice.

Speaking with Bloody Elbow, Ferguson dropped a bombshell about his condition. For roughly a year and a half, his legs were essentially broken. He struggled to even put his feet on the floor when getting out of bed.

“For the longest time it would hurt to get out of bed and put my feet on the floor. You’re talking about for around a year-and-a-half my legs were broken.

The preparation for Khabib had been completely different from what Gaethje required. Ferguson was training sambo techniques and conditioning for wrestling. He wanted to embarrass Nurmagomedov in his own sport by throwing him on his back. When the UFC suddenly switched opponents, Ferguson’s body wasn’t ready for the stand-up war that Gaethje brought.

Ferguson admits he pushed himself way too hard during that period. He wanted to demonstrate how tough human beings could be during the pandemic’s darkest days. The mental weight became overwhelming. He thought he could handle everything, but it dragged him down hard. That beating he took from Gaethje started a losing streak that eventually reached eight fights.

Now Ferguson is thriving in boxing, away from the brutal grind of UFC competition. His body is healing. His confidence is back. ‘El Cucuy’ proved that sometimes you need to change arenas to rediscover yourself. The eight-fight losing streak doesn’t define him anymore;his comeback does!

(Image Credit: Jeff Swinger – Imagn Images)

Tony Ferguson

Zaid Quraishi

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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!