Tony Ferguson has opened up about his exit from UFC for GFL following a lengthy career with the multibillion-dollar promotion. Ferguson also voiced his disappointment at having so few opportunities at the title during his tenure.
Ferguson got his hands on the UFC gold when he secured a third-round submission win over Kevin Lee at UFC 216 in 2017 to become the interim lightweight champion. Regretfully, the 41-year-old's losing streak began at UFC 249 when he lost his interim title to former BMF champion Justin Gaethje by knockout in the fifth round.
In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani on The Ariel Helwani Show, Ferguson criticized UFC for giving him few chances at UFC gold despite facing elite contenders throughout his octagon career, saying:
''I have fought for fucking, I don't know how many years waiting for a championship and then getting it and then having it taken and then dangling in front of me again... What do you think I am? I'm a human being. I'm not trying to bi*ch and moan, but at least if you do this to me, you're not gonna feel bad for doing it to the next person. And then there's a lawsuit and there's other things, but that that's not what I'm focused on. My focus is always to what? Keep the sport moving."
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Check out Tony Ferguson's comments below:
Ferguson has now signed with GFL and is scheduled to face Dillon Danis to mark his debut in the new promotion.
Tony Ferguson is satisfied with how his UFC career played out
Tony Ferguson faced defeat seven times after losing the interim title to Justin Gaethje before leaving the UFC early this year. He lost to some renowned fighters like former champion Charles Oliveira, Nate Diaz, and former title challenger Michael Chandler. In his last octagon outing at UFC Abu Dhabi last year, Ferguson suffered an opening-round submission defeat against Michael Chiesa.
In the aforementioned conversation with Ariel Helwani, Ferguson revealed that his experience in the octagon was successful as he learned to move on, saying:
“I have to tell you, I packed up all my UFC stuff and put it into bags. It was the hardest f*cking thing I had to do. It was a couple of days where it took time for me to be able to adjust. I put everything in big storage bags and I was ready to move on… This entire process hasn’t been a disappointment, but it has been a learning experience.”
Check out Tony Ferguson's comments below: