Dana White believes it’s time for Tony Ferguson to retire from MMA.
On Saturday night, December 16, Ferguson suffered a unanimous decision defeat against Paddy Pimblett, extending his losing streak to seven fights. Following his latest failed bounce-back attempt, the MMA community has called for the legend to retire and prevent any more unnecessary damage.
During the UFC 296 post-event press conference, Dana White was asked what he thinks Ferguson should do next. The UFC CEO responded by saying:
“I would love to see Tony [Ferguson] retire…When you talk about a skid, you look at the guys he fought too, that plays a factor into it. And how good did he look up until he lost? Tony tonight looked like he should retire.”
Initially, Tony Ferguson’s losing streak was somewhat excusable since he fought elite opposition like Justin Gaethje, Charles Oliveira, and Michael Chandler. Yet, Ferguson’s recent defeats have been against Bobby Green and Paddy Pimblett, a step down in competition.
Therefore, Ferguson would likely have to fight someone low-ranked or unranked to give him a better chance of securing a win. With that said, Dana White doesn’t seem overly interested in offering ‘El Cucuy’ another fight.
Dana White says he would "love" to see Tony Ferguson reitre after #UFC296 pic.twitter.com/94ybr93Rcq
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) December 17, 2023
Dana White hints at not wanting to offer Tony Ferguson another fight moving forward
It’s easy for fans and media members to call for a fighter to retire when things aren’t going well. Meanwhile, the athlete has to completely change their lives to make the adjustment, which isn’t an easy decision to accept.
During the previously mentioned post-event press conference, Dana White had this to say when asked what he would do if Tony Ferguson asked for another fight:
“Tony has been an absolute warrior and a dog in this sport. I don’t want to disrespect him by publicly talking about him retiring, but I would love to see him retire. That’s really where my head is at.”
Tony Ferguson will always be remembered as a former UFC interim lightweight champion who once established a twelve-fight win streak.
The reality is prime ‘El Cucuy’ hasn’t shown up to the Octagon in several years, which is a good reason for him to retire if he’s mentally ready.
Watch Dana White’s entire UFC 296 post-event press conference below:
