Tony Ferguson hit back at Daniel Cormier for suggesting that he should retire.
Following the loss to Nate Diaz at UFC 279, Cormier bashed Ferguson’s performance and stated that it was time for him to hang up the gloves. Ferguson hit a skid that has seen him drop the fifth straight loss of his career after racking up an impressive 12-fight win streak.
Tony Ferguson hits back at Daniel Cormier for saying he should retire
In an interview with Brett Okamoto of ESPN, Tony Ferguson hit back at Cormier for his criticism.
“When I feel like I’m ready to retire, I will retire,” Ferguson said via MMA Junkie. “But right now it’s a little bit different, a little bit more interesting. DC and all these commentators that just keep repeating the same sh*t in the past couple of years – because that’s what they want me to do. They want the public eye to see me like that and they want to see me as a quitter and so on and so forth.
Ferguson referenced the infamous ‘towelgate’ incident
Ferguson brought up the controversial weigh-in of “DC”, where he struggled to make weight.
“I never cheated to get on the scales to retain my championship like DC – hashtag ‘towel gate,’ – these guys grabbing the towel, trying to lift some pounds off the scale. The UFC (was) right there – they went with it. It’s like an inside job. This guy wants to call it out, I’m going to call you right back out. You don’t have to be an asshole to the people who actually work hard. There’s a lot of up-and-coming fighters that see that sh*t and they’re going to try and go with the clique – and that’s it. So don’t start that sh*t. I’ve literally given my shirt off my back to the fans, and same thing with the UFC, and I’ll still take my shirt off to go inside that f*cking octagon and show that I’m the f*cking man. I’m still the f*cking champ.”
It’s clear Ferguson has no plans to step away from competition anytime soon and wants to keep going strong. He took Diaz on a day’s notice while preparing for a three-round bout against Li Jingliang, so it’s worth noting what could have been possible if he had a full camp.
