Tony Ferguson is ready to bring the fight against Michel Chiesa.
This Saturday, ‘El Cucuy‘ will head to Abu Dhabi for what could very well be his last shot at getting back into the win column. As it stands, Ferguson has lost his last seven fights, tying him with BJ Penn for the longest losing streak in UFC history. If he comes up short against the TUF alumnus on Saturday, he’ll have the record all to himself.
The former interim titleholder is hellbent on preventing that from happening and is feeling as confident as ever ahead of his 24th walk to the Octagon.
Tony Ferguson sends a message to Michael Chiesa
“I’m going to out work you, I’m gonna punch you, you’re gonna shoot in I’m gonna choke you out…
I’m not gonna give you any time to breathe and I hope your conditioning is really good.”
@HoshehMma #UFCAbuDhabi #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/k1dsOC1e57
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) July 31, 2024
“F*ck that, this is mixed martial arts,” Ferguson told Hosheh MMA. “I’m not here for ADCC. I’m here to go in there. I’m going to out work you. I’m going to punch you. You’re going to shoot in. I’m going to choke you out. With Paddy, I shouldn’t have let him up. I had too many people telling me the wrong sh*t when I know damn well exactly that I have the compass to get to where I need to go.
“I had too many people telling me the wrong sh*t, when I know damn well I have the confidence to get to where I need to go. I have nothing against you Michael Chiesa. But, I’m going to bring the fight to you. I’m not going to give you any time to breathe, and I hope your conditioning is really good. I know you got a fancy new camp where you’re getting your strength and conditioning, but I’ve been all the way around in this sh*t. I’m a national champ from Grand Valley State University so if you want to wrestle, I’m right here, baby” (h/t Sportskeeda).
Tony Ferguson seeking his first win in over five years
At one time, Tony Ferguson was one of the biggest names in all of lightweight, winning 12 straight fights with nine of them coming by way of finish. But after absorbing an absolutely brutal beatdown at the hands of Justin Gaethje in May 2020, ‘El Cucuy’ has been a shell of his former self, coming up short against Charles Oliveira, Beneil Dariush, Michael Chandler, Nate Diaz, King Green, and Paddy Pimblett.
His last victory came against Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone at UFC 238 in June 2019.
Meanwhile, Michael Chiesa’s appearances have been few and far between in recent years. ‘Maverick’ goes into his first fight of 2024 on a three-fight losing skid and an overall record of 11-7 under the UFC banner.
Still, Chiesa has proven to be a dangerous opponent for many notable names at 155, including Beneil Dariush, Carlos Condit, Diego Sanchez, and former titleholder Rafael dos Anjos.
