Tony Ferguson is not going anywhere.
At one time, ‘El Cucuy’ was one of the most dangerous men in the lightweight division, amassing a record-setting 12-fight win streak. Today, Ferguson is on the verge of making a different kind of history after suffering his seventh-straight loss inside the Octagon at UFC 296. He’s currently tied with another legend of the sport — B.J. Penn — for the longest losing streak in promotional history. With one more defeat, he will take sole possession of it.
But despite all of his struggles, Ferguson refuses to throw in the towel on his career.
“I’m already a Hall of Famer man,” Ferguson said during an appearance on the JAXXON Podcast with Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson. “They already f*cking know it and you know what? I’m not retiring. Anytime I get hurt I come back with a f*cking vengeance because, like I said, you need a slap in that face to do it because the only person that’s going to do it is ourselves. Nobody is going to tell us what the f*ck to do.
He added, “I’m gonna fight until the wheels fall off. F*ck retiring.”
Ahead of Tony Ferguson’s latest loss against Paddy Pimblett in December, the former interim lightweight champion worked with ex-U.S. Navy SEAL and ultramarathon runner David Goggins. Revealing how he hooked up with the Guinness world record holder, Ferguson said:
“He sent me a message through my agent who sent it to me. We kept in contact. He’d send me another one once in a while. Then he finally reached out to me and he was like, ‘Tony, I want to help you.’ He has a compound in Vegas and every morning, every night, he would check in and text me. He was just a guardian and it was cool as f*ck. He was like, ‘I need you to be really honest with me. I need to get in your head, Tony. We can get you there, but you’re gonna have to go through the sh*t.'”
From the moment he heard Goggins’ spiel, Ferguson was ready to dive in and give it everything.
“It was the craziest f*cking thing. I never knew what he was about. How intense he was. I didn’t know anything. I just showed up at his door.”
How Tony Ferguson met David Goggins pic.twitter.com/MvO7ZBuXBW
— Lock-In MMA (@LockInMMA) February 22, 2024
Ferguson’s brutal week of training with Goggins was highly documented on social media, including plenty of footage of ‘El Cucuy’ throwing up in between a series of over-the-top cardio routines.
“I had to keep certain speeds on certain things and I couldn’t touch the handles and stuff. I would run to the f*cking bathroom to puke, come back, get my reps back up, and never quit,” Ferguson said of his experience.
‘Rampage’ Jackson Offers a Word of Encouragement to Tony Ferguson
In the end, Tony Ferguson’s work with Goggins didn’t do him any favors inside the Octagon. Offering some words of encouragement to the struggling UFC star, ‘Rampage’ Jackson, let Ferguson know that he deserves everything he wants — including another win inside the Octagon.
“Tell yourself in the morning when you wake up, give yourself an ‘I deserve this. I deserve this victory. I deserve to get back on top. I deserve everything because I worked hard. I’m a hard worker.’ Tell yourself that every morning when you wake up, thank the man up high,” Jackson said. “Show gratitude. Thank him for your healthy beautiful kids. Your beautiful wife. Everything. Thank him for the things you don’t have. Thank him for things that you want and never talk about what you don’t have. Always thank him for everything.
“And then tell yourself you do deserve it. And don’t feel guilty for anything you’ve done in the past. We’re all ratchet men. Nobody’s perfect. You deserve it. You deserve everything.”
Rampage Jackson giving Tony Ferguson life advice on his podcast today is wholesome AF 🏆 pic.twitter.com/yxcxQy4BOf
— OOC MMA (@oocmma) February 22, 2024
Tony Ferguson last saw his hand raised against UFC Hall of Famer Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone in June 2019. Since then, he has suffered losses against Justin Gaethje, Charles Oliveira, Beneil Dariush, Michael Chandler, Nate Diaz, Bobby Green, and Paddy Pimblett. Ferguson is 15-8 under the UFC banner, 25-10 overall.
Watch Ferguson’s full appearance on the JAXXON Podcast below:
