Tony Ferguson isn’t going anywhere.

The man known as “El Cucuy” turned 40 years old this month and has never shown interest in hanging up the gloves. An all-time entertainer within the lightweight division, Ferguson has done just about everything aside from holding an undisputed title. That, unfortunately, includes some bad with the good.

Ferguson’s last fight saw him tie the record for the longest losing streak in UFC history alongside former two-division champion BJ Penn at seven. Unlike the three losses that came before his most recent fight, Ferguson made it to the judges’ scorecards against rising lightweight prospect Paddy Pimblett at UFC 296 in December. Competition-wise, it was a decent step down from Bobby Green, whom he fought directly prior. Still, Ferguson plans to keep at it like only he knows how.

“I got trophies, I got the most wins record, I got the loss record, I got the Fight of the Night, Fight of the Year, I got all these accolades and side quests f****** completed,” Ferguson laughed when speaking on JAXXON PODCAST. “So, it was hard to figure out and go back and play the game again to figure out what the f*** you’re looking for, but there is always something in the game that you can figure out or get better with. That’s where I’m at with this and it’s cool because I needed the slap in the face with these two surgeries. I had that slap in the face with my LCL and I came back and I f***** up [Anthony] Pettis but I did it and I fought on the card where they stripped me of my belt but they should have stripped Conor [McGregor] then I would have been champion.

“I’m already a f****** Hall of Famer, man. They already f****** know it. I’m not retiring. Any time I get hurt, I come back with a f****** vengeance because like I said, you get that slap in the face in order to do it because the only person that’s gonna do it for us is ourselves. Nobody’s gonna tell us what the f*** to do.”

UFC 238 was the last event Ferguson got his hand raised at when he defeated Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone right before the COVID-19 pandemic in June 2019. The win was his 12th straight, making the complete contrast of his current skid all the more shocking.

The fight that kicked off Ferguson’s current stretch was supposed to be his long-awaited — cursed — matchup with the legendary Khabib Nurmagomedov. Instead, the worldwide situation forced the change and led to a Justin Gaethje interim title tilt, the second of Ferguson’s career after first winning a placeholder strap against Kevin Lee in October 2017.

Ultimately, as long as Ferguson is physically capable of making the walk, he will.

“I’m going to fight until the wheels fall off,” Ferguson said. “F*** retiring, dude. If you’re a competitor for the longest time — I’m a three-sport athlete. I wanted to go back and play pro ball. I wanted to go and do another f****** thing. I wanted to do all this s*** because I’m that guy.

“I’m not saying I got burned out, but I got burned out with MMA. Pandemic, my business was the only one that didn’t close. I kept sports going, dude. Not one other motherf****** put the belt on the line to keep sports going. B****s from Khabib’s camp ran back home to f****** mommy. Conor was telling everybody to stay inside. My ass was sitting out here f****** being the only f****** car going down 17th street doing all this s***.”

TOP STORIES

Decision. Sean O’Malley concedes to fan pushback, declares Merab Dvalishvili next after UFC 299

Rank. Alex Pereira: Jamahal Hill isn’t the second-best — or even third-best — light heavyweight in UFC

Plan. Francis Ngannou expected to face Ryan Bader vs. Renan Ferreira winner in PFL debut

Contender. Merab Dvalishvili confident UFC gives him title shot next, addresses Henry Cejudo’s future

Version. Brian Ortega addresses Alexander Volkanovski’s shocking loss: ‘It didn’t seem like it was the same Volk’

Success. Oban Elliott on meeting Chael Sonnen and CM Punk after first UFC win: ‘I literally am living the dream’

Odds. Alex Pereira opens as slight favorite over Jamahal Hill in UFC 300 main event

Applause. Anthony Hernandez says Mario Lopez spurred on stylish submission win over Roman Lopylov at UFC 298

GOAT. Laura Sanko: Alexander Volkanovski ‘still the greatest featherweight of all-time’ despite UFC 298 title loss

Heat. Ian Machado Garry: ‘I will drag Colby in front of Trump, and I’ll beat the mouth off him’

VIDEO STEW

Between the Links.

The Real Fight.

Ortega’s UFC finishes.

Top finishes from UFC Mexico fighters.

Free fight.

PFL vs. Bellator Fight Week.

Tom and Eddie.

Zombie Trip 3.

Britain’s best sandwich.

LISTEN UP

Heck of a Morning. MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck discusses Brian Ortega’s intriguing return at UFC Mexico City, how Merab Dvalishvili got himself over.

MORNING MUSIC

SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE

Blessed express.

Got some good ones.

Mind change.

Mountain man.

Arrival.

Meeting legends.

Agree?

Hmm.

They. Are. All. The. Same.

Royalty.

Champ.

FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Tabatha Ricci (9-2) vs. Tecia Torres (13-6); UFC Vegas 92, May 11

Tamires Vidal (7-2) vs. Hailey Cowan (7-3); UFC Event, May 18

Luana Pinheiro (11-2) vs. Angela Hill (16-13); UFC Event, May 18

FINAL THOUGHTS

Well, now it just comes down to whether or not the UFC gives Ferguson any more fights.

Happy Friday, gang. Have a great weekend. Thanks for reading!

EXIT POLL

If you find something you’d like to see in the Morning Report, hit up @DrakeRiggs_ on Twitter and let him know about it. Also, follow MMAFighting on Instagram and like us on Facebook.

MMA Fighting – All Posts

Days after claiming his first UFC title, newly minted featherweight champion Ilia Topuria is already eyeing a potential showdown with one of the biggest names in professional boxing — Canelo Alvarez.

On Saturday, February 17, ‘El Matador’ shocked the world with a vicious second-round knockout of Alexander Volkanovski in the UFC 298 main event. Since then, Topuria has been living it up, receiving a hero’s welcome in his return to Spain and calling out some of the biggest names in combat sports. Speaking with Joe Rogan immediately following his title-winning performance, Topuria called for a clash with Irish megastar Conor McGregor inside the Octagon.

On Thursday, the trend continued at a press event where Topuria expressed interest in a boxing match with the multi-time world champion.

Canelo Alvarez is one of the most revered athletes in the history of the sweet science. He has held world championships in four different weight classes from light middleweight to light heavyweight, including unified titles in three of those weight classes and lineal titles in two. He holds an impressive 60-2 record with 39 of his wins via knockout.

This is not the first time Ilia Topuria has expressed an interest in testing out his boxing skills against Alvarez. During a November appearance on the Overdogs Podcast — three months before his earth-shattering KO against Alexander Volkanovski — ‘El Matador’ shared his desire to step inside the squared circle with the Mexican sensation.

“I would love to fight one day with Canelo,” Topuria said. “I have so, so much respect for him. But I wanna fight with him one day. Once I win the belt and become a UFC world champion, I wanna go for him. Because I really think I have a chance with him. I’ve been following him forever. I believe I have the possibility to beat him.“

LowKickMMA.com

UFC

submitted by /u/event_threads
[link] [comments]
MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

UFC

https://x.com/blessedmma/status/1760733567687250155?s=46&t=tBIHpptE4A8vNqM1FhT5KQ submitted by /u/Global_Fight_Talk [link] [comments]

MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Callout
| BJPenn.com

UFC

Bringing you the weird and wild from the world of MMA each and every weeknight!

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

The UFC Performance Institute (PI) has been a real game-changer. The Las Vegas, Nevada location opened up in 2017 and serves as both a UFC corporate headquarters and ultra high-tech training facility. Since its genesis, countless fighters have made use of the PI in their fight camps, using the UFC’s team of nutritionists and coaches to help progress. It’s an important reason for why Las Vegas has become such a popular home base for many pros.

About a year after the Las Vegas location opened, UFC opened up a massive PI in Shanghai, China. While a smaller percentage of UFC fighters have been through those doors, the goal of the training center is to spur the Chinese MMA scene and help grow the UFC brand in China. For example, the recent Road To UFC tournament, which served as an avenue for Chinese athletes to score a UFC contract, took place inside the Shanghai PI.

Now, UFC CEO Dana White is looking to bring similar opportunities to Mexico. During the UFC Mexico City fight week, White cut the ceremonial ribbons for the new PI facility, which is expected to see its official opening in April.

“This has been a dream/goal of mine for a very long time, going back to 2001,” White said (via MMAJunkie). “I was just saying to these guys to be walking the halls, looking at the gym – this incredible facility is amazing. I’ve wanted this for a long time, so I’m very excited. Thanks to everybody who made this happen.

“… The first facility we did in Las Vegas, then we did China, and now we’re here. It’s better and better and better and better every time we build one. Now you can honestly say that the PI in Mexico is the best Performance Institute in the UFC, without a doubt. This place is incredible. As we keep building and learning, we keep getting better.”

Insomnia

Ilia Topuria’s big goals and aspirations do not end with knocking out Alexander Volkanovski.

Fan on Twitter are booking Roman Kopylov vs. Shara Magomedov … I’d watch!

Strawweight’s iron horse returns to action! Angela Hill vs. Luana Pinheiro sounds like a fun scrap.

A Light Heavyweight and Strawweight sparring:

This doesn’t feel important in the grand scheme of things, but I definitely didn’t notice how well this upkick landed.

Yuki Yoza puts together combinations so beautifully … unless you’re his opponent/sparring partner.

This shot of “Marvelous” Marvin Hagler looks like a painting.

Slips, rips, and KO clips

A major upset from back in the day!

Eagerly waiting for a surge of Olympic Taekwondo athletes to burst into the MMA scene and start jump kicking people.

Two kicks collide, one man loses terribly.

Random Land

I don’t like posting TMZ content, but this is a hell of a clip.

Midnight Music: Hip-hop, 1991

Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.

MMAmania.com – All Posts

submitted by /u/rmma
[link] [comments]
MMA: Mixed Martial Arts