MMA can be a cruel sport as Tony Ferguson can testify, having not only failed to fight for the lightweight title despite a memorable 12-fight winning streak a few years ago, but also now had salt poured on his wounds with calls for him to retire after losing his last three fights in a row.
However, Ferguson is remaining defiant in defeat and has vowed not to hang up his gloves.
“Retire and give these [motherf*ckers] a break?” Ferguson wrote on Instagram after his decision loss to Beneil Dariush at UFC 262 on Saturday night. “No, I don’t think so, not on my watch. Now I’m pissed.”
It’s the sort of response you would expect from this battle-hardened warrior, but unfortunately there are signs that the 37-year-old is starting to run out of steam and it has left even the likes of Dana White questioning his fighting future.
“It could be that, it could be just time gets us all,” White said at the post-fight presser. “So it’s one of those things, I don’t know which one, or both. But yeah, unfortunately it’s definitely hit Tony.”
Ferguson had clearly been a big fan favorite at UFC 262, getting the biggest fan reaction for his walkout, and now his opponent Dariush, who was by contrast booed heavily, has warned them not to be fairweather fans if ‘El Cucuy’s’ best days really are behind him.
“Nah, Nah, it’s not personal,” Dariush said of the negative reaction he himself received. “But I will say this, they better not be fickle. The same fans that just cheered Tony on like that, they better cheer for him every single fight. I better not see those stupid comments about Tony. Ah, he’s done, he’s this, he’s that. You know, you’re going to support him, support him throughout his whole career.
“Don’t support him just for the day. And now that he is not doing well, forget about him. So, that’s the only thing, man. If you’re going to be a Tony fan, be a Tony fan for life. I don’t wanna see that cr*p about him, ah this and that. I just see so many negative comments, online man. It just makes you wanna stay away from it.”
