Former interim-lightweight UFC champion Tony Ferguson said he will not stop competing and has felt better than ever despite losing his eighth-straight fight.
Following an August 3 loss in Abu Dhabi, Ferguson broke the record for the most consecutive losses in UFC history, which was previously held by former two-division champion B.J. Penn, who lost seven in a row before retiring. Veteran fighter Sam Alvey has the most UFC fights without a win, nine, placing a draw between a pair of four-fight losing streaks.
In his post-fight interview, Ferguson was asked by UFC commentator Daniel Cormier if it was his final fight, a question that has become a formality for the 40-year-old.
“I don’t want to retire. I really don’t, but I love the UFC and I don’t want to go anywhere else,” Ferguson told Cormier. “I’m not going to put both gloves down, I’m going to put one and I’m going to keep the other one just in case,” he added.
Leaving their gloves in the Octagon is a traditional move for fighters when they retire.
‘No matter what I’m doing, I’m gonna get better and better and better and better.’
“I’m kinda like, no, I still wanna fight,” Ferguson later continued, according to MMA Mania. “I still wanna compete and I still wanna do this … I wanna do a whole bunch of stuff. If I didn’t have the love, both those gloves would have been left in that f***ing ring.”
Since his last win in 2018, Ferguson has consistently fought contenders and big-name fighters despite losing each time.
The California native became the interim lightweight champion in 2017 but was stripped of the belt in April 2018 due to injury. He would fight for the same interim belt again in 2020 against Justin Gaethje, but lost when the fight was stopped by the referee in the fifth round. The brutal beating marked the beginning of Ferguson’s record-setting losing streak.
When asked what he would do if the UFC decided not to re-sign him, Ferguson replied, “what we do is we go do something else.”
At 25-11, Ferguson has been a fan-favorite for more than a decade since winning “The Ultimate Fighter 13” in 2011. His unorthodox personality has continued to make him a draw despite his losses and has led to him consistently appearing on the main card at big events.
“I wanna be real. If those fans out there are willing enough to come [to Abu Dhabi] and fly and spend thousands of dollars to come watch me compete somewhere, I can f***ing tell you they’re gonna follow me somewhere. And that’s the humblest thing I could say because no matter where I’m at, no matter what I’m doing, I’m gonna get better and better and better and better,” he added.
Ferguson then alluded to a possible stint in other sports like boxing or grappling.
“I’m not gonna f***ing stop competing. That’s just in my blood. That’s just how I am,” he concluded.
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