Following a seventh consecutive loss, Tony Ferguson‘s UFC career is in question, with UFC CEO Dana White suggesting retirement, while fellow UFC veteran Matt Brown believes Ferguson still has potential and suggests he try grappling matches to test his skills.
Tony Ferguson’s career seems to be hanging in the balance. After a seventh straight loss to Paddy Pimblett at UFC 296, he’s at a crossroads. Dana White, UFC CEO, has suggested Ferguson should retire. However, he hasn’t explicitly stated that the promotion would let go of the former interim champ.
Ferguson himself hasn’t been vocal post-defeat. But UFC veteran Matt Brown isn’t ready to write him off. Brown confesses that he underestimated Pimblett’s skills in the lead-up to UFC 296. Pimblett’s performance against Ferguson was surprisingly impressive.
“Tony’s giving it his all,” Brown commented on The Fighter vs. The Writer. “He’s putting in the hours. He’s grinding. The people he’s lost to are no joke. But losing to Paddy raises questions. Is Paddy better than we thought? Or is Tony nearing the end? It didn’t answer my questions. Maybe both these guys are better than we credit them for.”
Brown isn’t rushing to write Ferguson’s epitaph. He acknowledges that Ferguson’s form is a far cry from his 12-win streak in one of the sport’s most competitive divisions. Ferguson was slated to face Khabib Nurmagomedov multiple times, including title fight opportunities. But injuries, poor timing, and the pandemic prevented the fight from happening. Instead, Ferguson battled Justin Gaethje in UFC 249, the first card since the COVID-19 outbreak.
Ferguson almost finished Gaethje early in the fight. But Gaethje bounced back to punish Ferguson before a fifth-round stoppage. Brown can’t help but wonder if that fight took something from Ferguson that he hasn’t recovered.
“That fight with Justin Gaethje or the Chandler one, just drained him,” Brown said. “What a situation. He tears his knee out trying to fight Khabib for the fourth time, tripping over a wire. It’s been downhill since. I feel like Gaethje took it out of him.”
Brown still sees a chance for Ferguson to return to the octagon. But first, he suggests Ferguson should try some grappling matches. “Let’s see if he’s still got it without taking punches to the head,” Brown suggested. “I’d love to see him do something else. Not just risking his brain out there.”
If Ferguson finds success there, Brown believes he could return for another UFC fight. But it depends on the right stylistic matchups that won’t put the 39-year-old fighter in too much danger. “Ryan Hall would be a perfect fight for him,” Brown said. “I think there’s still matchups out there for him if he still wants to do it.”
The Fighter vs. The Writer is available every Tuesday on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and iHeartRadio.