5 most memorable Tony Ferguson moments: Revisiting the iconic UFC career of 'El Cucuy'

UFC icon Tony Ferguson is all set to commence a new chapter in his long and storied MMA career. January 2025 witnessed the stunning development of Ferguson's UFC exit. Having made his UFC main roster debut in 2011, his decade-plus run in the organization came to a close this year.

Presently, the American fighter of Mexican descent is headed to the GFL (Global Fight League). The 40-year-old was recently picked for Team Los Angeles in the GFL Draft and is expected to make his promotional debut this year. In the wake of these major developments, we'll now revisit some of Ferguson's most memorable moments from his iconic UFC career.

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#5 Tony Ferguson's terrifying TUF tournament win

Tony Ferguson partook in the The Ultimate Fighter Season 13 welterweight tournament and earned his UFC contract in style. He viciously knocked out Ramsey Nijem to become the TUF 13 welterweight tournament winner at The Ultimate Fighter: Team Lesnar vs. Team Dos Santos Finale in June 2011.

The TUF stint and the tournament finals not only showed Ferguson's well-rounded skill set but also his killer instinct -- his ability to stop any tough adversary on a given day. That fight also marked his UFC main roster debut.

'El Cucuy' has had many memorable moments over the years, but his thunderous knockout victory against Nijem is, to this day, considered one of the most iconic moments in his career. Ferguson was felicitated by then-UFC president (now-UFC CEO and president) Dana White inside the octagon after his TUF tournament victory.

Ferguson also earned considerable praise throughout the season from his TUF coach, WWE icon, and former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar.

Check out Tony Ferguson's TUF highlights and win below:

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#4 Tony Ferguson outshines Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC press conference

Tony Ferguson was to fight then-UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov for the latter's title at UFC 249 in 2020. The ill-fated Nurmagomedov vs. Ferguson matchup -- which had previously fallen apart due to injuries and weight-cutting mishaps -- fell apart again. This time it was due to COVID-19-related travel issues that prevented Nurmagomedov from entering the U.S.

Ultimately, Ferguson's 12-fight win streak ended at the hands of replacement opponent Justin Gaethje, who TKO'd him to capture the interim UFC lightweight title that was at stake at UFC 249 in May 2020.

On the other hand, Khabib's father and mentor, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, passed away in July 2020. 'The Eagle' fought just once thereafter, submitting Gaethje that October, and he then retired from MMA.

Regardless, the UFC 249 press conference, before Nurmagomedov returned to Dagestan and was denied re-entry into America, gave the MMA community several memorable moments. To this day, various Ferguson supporters assert that he was one of the rare fighters whose trash talk riled the usually stoic Nurmagomedov up.

The aforementioned press conference saw various such moments, with Ferguson even sounding off on Nurmagomedov's friend and longtime manager, Ali Abdelaziz. 'El Cucuy' also derided Nurmagomedov's previous weight-cutting mishaps, including alleged indulgence in 'Tiramisu.'

At one point, he questioned 'The Eagle's' street fighting skills and drew an angry reaction. All in all, it was the Ferguson show at the press conference, as he casually played with a baseball and constantly trolled Nurmagomedov.

Check out Tony Ferguson's jibes at Khabib Nurmagomedov below (5:09):

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#3 Show of respect with Nate Diaz

The UFC 279 (September 2022) event witnessed one of the biggest last-minute card reshufflings in UFC history after headliner Khamzat Chimaev missed weight for his scheduled welterweight bout against MMA legend Nate Diaz. It was to be the final fight on Diaz's contract, and he'd hinted that he'd leave the UFC (which he did after that event!).

Elsewhere on that card, Tony Ferguson was booked to fight Li Jingliang in a welterweight bout. Ferguson ended up being rebooked to face Diaz instead. At that time, certain sections of the MMA community argued that both Diaz and Ferguson were past their respective athletic primes. Regardless, they put on a tremendously entertaining fight, going to war against each other for around four rounds.

In round four, Diaz managed to stop Ferguson with a guillotine choke. The two UFC icons expressed their respect for each other. The two combatants, who were well known for their relentless trash-talking prowess, recognized the gravitas of the legend vs. legend matchup they'd competed in. In a memorable show of respect, they bowed to each other, signifying respect for each other's martial arts skills.

Check out the display of respect below:

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#2 Winning interim UFC lightweight gold at a special event

Las Vegas witnessed one of the worst mass shootings perpetrated by a single assailant on Oct. 1, 2017. The New York Times later reported that the shooter, an American man named Stephen Paddock who reported killed himself too, had taken the lives of 60 people in the attack. He'd reportedly shot from a hotel room down at people at an outdoor music festival.

The UFC being a prominent Vegas-based company, paid their respects to those affected by the tragedy. UFC head honcho Dana White played a crucial role in it, which included a video package at the UFC 216 pay-per-view (PPV) and more to stand in solidarity with the affected families and the city of Vegas. The UFC 216 event went ahead on Oct. 7, 2017, and was headlined by Tony Ferguson.

Ferguson faced Kevin Lee in the headlining match, which had the interim UFC lightweight championship up for grabs. At that time, the UFC lightweight championship was held by combat sports megastar Conor McGregor, who 'El Cucuy' had long been at loggerheads with.

Well, Ferguson put on an incredible performance, terrifyingly dissecting Lee. Though 'The Motown Phenom' seemed to out-wrestle Ferguson, the latter's cardio and pace soon proved too much to handle. 'El Cucuy' gradually out-struck and out-grappled the talented wrestler.

Despite Lee's valiant efforts, Ferguson submitted him with a triangle choke in round three and won the interim UFC lightweight title. Ironically, Ferguson's UFC exit and GFL entry have come amid fellow GFL fighter Kevin Lee's constant call-outs of him for a potential rematch.

Watch highlights from Tony Ferguson's title win below:

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#1 Tony Ferguson's all-time classic win against fellow MMA great Rafael dos Anjos

In the fight that preceded his interim title win, Tony Ferguson faced former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos. The two lightweight greats were in their respective athletic primes at the time, and their showdown headlined The Ultimate Fighter Latin American 3 Finale: Dos Anjos vs. Ferguson event at the Arena Ciudad de Mexico in Mexico City, Mexico, in November 2016.

Mexico has a rich combat sports heritage. Also, in a fight game context, Mexico City is notorious for its high elevation causing even the best fighters to run out of steam earlier than they generally do. Regardless, Ferguson put on one of the all-time great displays of combat sports cardio, against an elite opponent like Dos Anjos nonetheless!

Ferguson showcased exceptional grappling, creative and unorthodox striking, and a well-rounded MMA arsenal to befuddle and thoroughly outwork the former lightweight kingpin. In the end, the judges handed Ferguson a unanimous decision victory.

That performance and his win have a special place in the hearts of 'El Cucuy's' fans -- a reminder of how extraordinary he was during his legendary 12-fight win streak and how rare of a combatant he was in his athletic prime. Currently, Ferguson's on an eight-fight losing streak, which he'll be looking to end soon.

Watch Tony Ferguson's fight with Rafael Dos Anjos below: