- Tony Ferguson said he was intentionally eye poked by Bobby Green at UFC 291
- “El Cucuy” made it clear that he is not retiring despite another loss
Veteran UFC lightweight Tony Ferguson claims his eye was poked at UFC 291 defeat to Bobby Green and he thinks his opponent did it on purpose. Hence, Green submitted Ferguson in Round 3.
BOBBY GREEN SUBMITS TONY FERGUSON! @BobbyKGreen gets the finish with seconds left at #UFC291! pic.twitter.com/HuRLRFYIRH
— UFC (@ufc) July 30, 2023
An impaired Vision
Revealing his thoughts in a statement on Instagram, “El Cucuy” did not shy away from accusing Green of intentionally poking his eye while he was already having his way during the fight. According to Ferguson, impaired vision affected his performance.
“Walked into the Delta Center to show the world I was back on track The preparation for this fight was exceptional & it was one of the best camps I’ve had,” Ferguson began.
“As the fight began, I was in the Xone, flowing & feeling confident Bobby knew the direction of the fight & I believe he knew what he was doing when he poked my eye. He has a big History of moves like this It significantly impaired my vision, making it difficult to see clearly out of my eye. Despite this eye poke I never considered stopping the fight Although the doc wanted too. Throughout my career, I’ve always pushed through challenges & never given up This time was no different,” he continued.
Not going anywhere
The loss to Green saw Ferguson going winless in six consecutive trips to the Octagon. Despite some believing he should call it a career, “El Cucuy” insists that he isn’t done yet and this is just another “setback.”
“Unfortunately in sports, setbacks like this are part of the journey While I won’t use the eye poke as an excuse for the outcome, I know for a fact I have more to give,” Ferguson added. “Moving forward, I plan to work closely with Dana, Hunter & my entire team to assess what’s next.”
Ferguson has drastically declined in recent years. His last win came at UFC 238 in 2019 when he TKO Donald Cerrone in Round 2. Since then, “El Cucuy” has suffered a terrible losing streak but is still undeniably a UFC fan favorite.
