Tony Ferguson has just received criticism from number-two ranked UFC welterweight contender Gilbert Burns.
Speaking with Ariel Helwani recently, Tony Ferguson decided to open up about his sub-standard preparations leading up to his UFC 256 clash against Charles Oliveira. Discussing the situation, he said -
"I only trained five hours of jiu-jitsu for that [Oliveira] fight. That's it. I was busy, dude, just doing a lot of other stuff, man, trying to make my business flow, trying to make sure that my team was filled. Fight week changed, dude. They said we couldn't do anything because of COVID, so it was bad, the preparations were f**ked"
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In response to Tony Ferguson's admission, UFC welterweight Gilbert Burns had a few words to say of his own.
Taking to Twitter, Burns implied Ferguson was making excuses. He stated that something smells like 'Borrachinha Wine', a reference to Paulo Costa's drinking confession after his title bout against Israel Adesanya.
However, with Burns and Ferguson representing different weight classes in the UFC, the jibe was rather unexpected.
Tony Ferguson has had mixed outcomes in the UFC's lightweight division. After securing a massively impressive twelve-fight win streak, it seemed as though Ferguson would clear out the entire division.
However, in what was an unexpected beatdown of 'El Cucuy' at UFC 249 against Justin Gaethje, the tables were quickly turned.
Following his technical knockout loss to Justin Gaethje, UFC lightweight aggressor Charles Oliveira was next in line to face the former interim UFC lightweight champion.
Going into the fight as the favorite, Tony Ferguson was expected to turn things around after his grueling setback against Justin Gaethje. But for virtually every second of the fight, 'Do Bronx' dominated.
Having almost snapped Ferguson's arm in two with a nasty arm-bar, Oliveira controlled proceedings with successive takedowns. Neutralizing all of Tony Ferguson's moves effectively, Oliveira managed to record yet another big win.
What's next for Tony Ferguson?
Tony Ferguson is set to face fellow UFC lightweight contender Beneil Dariush on May 15 at UFC 262. While many may have written the 'Boogeyman' off as a serious contender, the 37-year will want to show he still has some gas left in the tank.
Do you think Tony Ferguson can return to form? Let us know of your thoughts and opinions in the comment section below!