“Even though we’re in the same division, even though we have history, I would never deny him if he wants to train here.”
Beneil Dariush is now the second fighter to extend a training invite to Tony Ferguson following ‘El Cucuy’s’ devastating knockout loss to Michael Chandler at UFC 274.
Ferguson turned down the opportunity to train with Charles Oliveira in Brazil but perhaps the UFC veteran will be persuaded to hook up with Dariush and his team at Kings MMA in Huntington Beach, California.
Dariush beat Ferguson last year at UFC 262 but that shouldn’t get in the way of them potentially forming a friendship and becoming teammates in the future.
“I actually think Tony has the right idea right now. He’s talking about working with the team, having people that can push him,” Dariush told The Schmo in a recent interview (h/t BJPenn.com). “Having a head coach, where he’s not the head coach, where he doesn’t wake up and be like, I feel like doing this. Man, just because you feel something, isn’t always the right thing to do. Sometimes your coaches know better. “Honestly 90 percent of the time when I wake up in the morning I feel like not training because I’m beat up and I’m old, but that’s not how it works. It’s important to have coaches who expect things from you and you don’t want to fail that expectation.”
“That being said, I think it’d be a great idea for him to join a team,” he added. “Obviously, we’re right by him and I would never deny a guy. Even though we’re in the same division, even though we have history, I would never deny him if he wants to train here. Obviously, it’s not even about me, it’s about him coming in and putting forth a good presence with the team and the coach… That would be my advice for Tony. He’s on the right path, I think he just needs to find that team and coach.”
Ferguson has lost his last four bouts in a row and hasn’t won a fight since 2019 when he defeated Donald Cerrone via second-round TKO.
Clearly, something has to change.
Whether that means joining forces with Dariush at Kings MMA or joining another team nearby, Ferguson has to add some structure to his routine and surround himself with the necessary coaches and teammates that want him to succeed.
Ferguson is currently #9 in the UFC lightweight rankings, while Dariush is #6. The latter hopes to return to the Octagon this summer, perhaps in August, after he’s recovered from injury.