"I don't give a f**k what anybody says" - Tony Ferguson claims UFC top brass "wants me to retire"

UFC lightweight veteran Tony Ferguson has claimed the UFC brass are hoping he retires.

'El Cucuy' was once considered one of the most fearsome fighters in the lightweight division, evidenced by a stunning 12-fight winning streak between 2013-2019.

Now, however, he is at a crossroads in his career.

Ferguson is 40 years old and has seen a sharp decline in his form, losing all seven of his last fights. He most recently faced Paddy Pimblett at UFC 296 last year, and whilst he did have success in the early stages of the fight, he came up short once again via unanimous decision.

Fans of the MMA veteran have been hoping he bows out of the sport without doing any damage to his health long term. According to Ferguson, it now seems the UFC brass wants the same.

Ferguson, who appeared on on the JAXXON podcast earlier this week, claimed some of the top UFC brass are actively avoiding booking him his next fight in the hopes he calls time on his career.

The California native has dimissed any notion of retirement, however, and wants to decide himself when its time to hang up his glove. He said:

"I don't give a f*ck, they don't want me to go [fight again]. They want me to retire. I don't give a f*ck what anybody says. I want to compete. ... After my fight with Paddy, I saw one of the matchmakers and I looked at him and said, 'At least I have options'. I'm not gonna beg [for a fight]. I'm gonna get paid no matter what the f*ck I do."

Catch Tony Ferguson's comments here (1:39:40):

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Tony Ferguson responds to fans calling for his retirement after UFC 296 defeat

Despite falling to his seventh defeat in a row at the hands of Paddy Pimblett, Tony Ferguson continues to believe his best days are ahead of him.

'El Cucuy' has been faced with calls to hang up his gloves from a mix of fans, fighters and the UFC brass. Following his loss to Pimblett, Dana White even stated he wants to see Ferguson bow out of fighting.

The 40-year-old disagreed, however, and took to Instagram following his clash against 'The Baddy'. In the caption, he, not for the first time in recent years, refuted any suggestion it was time for him to call it a day. He wrote:

“Love My Fans & Supporters, You All Are Fuckin’ Fire 🔥 Met Lots Of You Saturday/ This Weekend / This Week 🤝 Keep The Faith🙏MF’s. One Foot In Front Of The👣Other Bitches. Remember What I Said Crew✍️💨🍃” - Champ 🪽-CSO- 🇺🇸🏆🇲🇽 # ThereIsNoSuccessWithoutStruggle # Not 🦹‍♂️RetiringCasuals # EatAFat🖕😎OneYa’BunchOfEunics ✂️🥜"

Check out Tony Ferguson's post here: