Tony Ferguson vs. Michael Chiesa didn’t need to happen at UFC Abu Dhabi, which took place this weekend (Sat., Aug. 3, 2024) inside Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Is a single person reading this surprised at the outcome? I loved watching Tony Ferguson for years and tried to copy aspects of his style to my own approach to fighting, but my hope died several fights ago. He allegedly returned to sparring after many years away, yet that didn’t inspire much optimism. We were still talking about a 40 year old with shot knees, undersized for the class and facing a jiu-jitsu ace.
Ferguson looked solid for a minute or two. He usually does at some point during these losses, and Chiesa’s kickboxing has always been wooden. As soon as he picked up any hint of momentum, however, “Maverick” stopped screwing around and started wrestling. Ferguson gave up his back right away, and Chiesa is a top-tier finisher from that position.
The result was entirely predictable (watch highlights).
Thanks to this latest submission loss, Ferguson has now lost eight in a row, a UFC record that is unlikely to be broken any time soon. It’s a far cry from his 12-fight win streak, a savage tear that saw him regarded as an uncrowned champion with interim gold.
There was supposed to be at least one silver lining to Chiesa strangling Ferguson: “El Cucuy” could finally retire on a loss that didn’t see him take more damage. Chiesa lived up to the second half with a violence-free strangle, but even an adoring crowd couldn’t convince Ferguson to hang up.
In the post-fight interview, Ferguson acknowledged his losing streak and took off his gloves. Everything was going correctly, as the broadcast and crowd showed plenty of love to the once-great Lightweight. Then, it took a sideways turn, as Ferguson wouldn’t fully commit to retirement, leaving one glove in the Octagon.
“Just in case.”
Tony Ferguson lays one glove down after his loss pic.twitter.com/SPJfqWCbsT
— MMA Mania (@mmamania) August 3, 2024
UFC clearly set this up as Ferguson’s last ride, but also, his previous three fights could have been a last ride. The UFC can keep serving up “El Cucuy” to anyone they want to return to the win column, but it’s time for some proactive action. The promotion cannot keep booking him after eight losses — it would be outright irresponsible.
The MMA sphere is unanimous that its past time for Ferguson’s professional career to end. Let’s remember Ferguson at his incredible peak and move beyond this ugly losing streak, which is the ultimately outcome for any MMA fighter who hangs around too long.
For complete UFC Abu Dhabi: “Sandhagen vs. Nurmagomedov” results and play-by-play, click HERE.