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Tony Ferguson wants the UFC to pay him his worth.
Tony Ferguson won’t return to the octagon for anything less than a big payday.
‘El Cucuy’ hasn’t fought since his fifth-round TKO loss to Justin Gaethje at UFC 249 and, although he’s on tap for a return against former Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler, Ferguson won’t accept the bout unless he’s paid his worth.
“Don’t pay somebody more than me. Don’t pay anybody more than me,” Ferguson told Submission Radio before adding that he’s willing to accept a lesser paycheck against Conor McGregor. (h/t Abhinav Kini of The Body Lock). “If you’re going to pay Conor more than me, I understand that. But don’t pay anybody fucking more than me in this division, especially a new guy [Chandler].
“I’ve earned this right. I’ve started from the mailroom all the way to the fucking beginning. I earned my right through Fuel TV, Spike TV, FOX, ESPN, all the switches between Reebok and losing sponsors — who’s their main fucking guy that stays here and has been the same fucking guy that started with cringe and became an asshole and then fucking became cool and then I’m a genius.”
Ferguson has been competing in the UFC for nine years and, prior to his loss to Gaethje, was on a 12-fight winning streak and widely considered one of the best fighters in the world. The Ultimate Fighter 13 winner is currently #3 in the UFC lightweight rankings and #13 in the UFC men’s pound-for-pound rankings.