For UFC president Dana White, retirement is not yet an option for Tony Ferguson despite a brutal KO loss at UFC 274.
From being one of the most dominant lightweights on the roster, Tony Ferguson has fallen hard. “El Cucuy” is now on a bad losing streak, most recently at the hands of Michael Chandler at UFC 274.
Ferguson was knocked out cold by a front kick to the chin, a moment that likely goes viral in the weeks to come. But for UFC president Dana White, the former interim champion can fight on.
“Everybody was asking me this week leading up to this fight, ‘Is this a make or break for Tony Ferguson?’ And I said, ‘No.’ He’s still one of the top ten guys in the world. He looked damn good in that first round, but that was a vicious knockout,” he told reporters during the post-fight presser.
For White, all the 38-year-old Ferguson needs to do is to take some time off and regroup.
“I think what needs to happen now is Tony needs to take some time off after that knockout,” he said. “But it’s not like, ‘Oh my God, Tony got dominated and looked like he doesn’t even belong here…’”
“Tony looked damn good right up until he got caught. And you know, in this game, anybody can get caught with anything.”
After a mean 12-fight win streak that involved beatdowns on the likes of Anthony Pettis, Edson Barboza, and Donald Cerrone, Ferguson has now lost four of his last fights, mostly in dominant fashion. He now holds a record of 25-7.