Tony Ferguson's old rival makes eye-opening revelation about UFC star's future career moves, calls out 'El Cucuy' for rematch

A former rival of Tony Ferguson recently shared surprising insights about the future of the former UFC interim lightweight champion in combat sports. 'El Cucuy' was once regarded as one of the most formidable fighters in the 155-pound division, boasting an impressive 12-fight win streak. However, he now finds himself grappling with the weight of eight consecutive losses.

Ferguson last competed in a welterweight bout against Michael Chiesa at UFC Abu Dhabi in August 2024, where he endured a first-round submission defeat. Following the loss, many in the MMA community, including UFC CEO Dana White, called on the 40-year-old Californian to consider hanging up his gloves for good.

Despite the mounting pressure, Ferguson has firmly stated that retirement is not on his radar. In fact, he hinted at potential fight news in an Instagram post last week.

Check out Tony Ferguson's post below:

Former UFC fighter Kevin Lee claims that Ferguson will be returning to action soon, but not within the UFC octagon. During a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Lee, who signed with the Global Fight League (GFL) last month, revealed that 'El Cucuy' is reportedly in discussions to join the newly established MMA promotion.

He also expressed interest in reigniting his rivalry with Ferguson under the GFL banner:

"I’ve heard a couple of names tossed around; the one that interests me the most is Tony Ferguson. He’s had his ups and downs in his career, but we’ve had a great fight for the UFC championship, and I think that’s something that a lot of people can get behind, and that’s a fight that I really, really want... He’s in talks with them."

Check out Kevin Lee's comments below:

Ferguson defeated Lee with a third-round submission at UFC 216 in October 2017, securing the interim lightweight title in the process.

---

When Matt Brown offered his perspective on Tony Ferguson’s hesitation to retire

During an episode of The Fighter vs. The Writer (via MMA Fighting) in August 2024, UFC welterweight veteran Matt Brown shared his take on Tony Ferguson's reluctance to accept retirement despite enduring the longest losing streak in UFC history.

'The Immortal' highlighted that this is a frequent challenge for fighters, many of whom find it difficult to walk away from the sport and embrace new pursuits:

"You should probably call it quits. Something isn’t right. Whatever it is. If you lost your first eight or you lost your last eight. The problem is he had so many wins; he was interim champion, on a 12-fight winning streak back in the day. So he’s like a cocaine addict trying to reach that high again. When you get eight [losses], it doesn’t matter."