Tony Ferguson, nicknamed ‘El Cucucy’, has been a veteran lightweight in the UFC who could never win the world title. Despite that, Ferguson has fought and won against elite-level competitors. Before falling into the string of losses, Tony Ferguson seemed invincible for several years.
At one point, he was deemed to be the fighter who could beat the undefeated Khabib Nurmagomedov. The mega-fight was set to happen on multiple occasions but failed every time for various reasons. While Khabib Nurmagomedov retired in 2020, Tony Ferguson lost his unbeaten aura.
Following his first three wins in the UFC against Ramsey Nijem, Aaron Riley, and Yves Edwards, Ferguson suffered his first defeat against Michael Johnson in 2012.
After that, Tony Ferguson went on to win his next 12 fights and remained undefeated for seven years. His win-streak opponents were: Mike Rio, Katsunori Kikuno, Danny Castillo, Abel Trujilo, Gleison Tibau, Josh Thompson, Edson Barboza, Lando Vannata, Rafael Dos Anjos, Kevin Lee, Anthony Pettis, Donald Cerrone. Meanwhile, Ferguson’s journey after that hasn’t been impressive at all.
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Who Beat Tony Ferguson in 2019 After the 12-Fight Win Streak?
Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov were scheduled to compete at UFC 249. However, Nurmagomedov couldn’t leave Russia at that time die to Covid-19 protocols which hampered the fight. Currently the BMF champion, Justin Gaethje, slid in to face Tony Ferguson. It turned out to be an absolute mismatch. Justin Gaethje out struck Tony Ferguson throughout. Ferguson did not have any response to those shots and remained on the wrong end of a lopsided beatdown.
Just before the final round ended, Justin Gaethje scored a TKO over Tony Ferguson and won the bout. ‘El Cucuy’ never won after that. He lost his next five fights against Charles Oliveira (via UD), Beneil Dariush (via UD), Michael Chandler (via 2nd RD KO), Nate Diaz (via 4th RD SUB), Bobby Green (via 3rd RD SUB).
Can ‘El Ccucy’ Return To The Win Column?
Ferguson will return against Paddy Pimblett on December 16 at UFC 296. 20-3 as a pro, Pimblett is undefeated in the UFC so far. He has 4 wins in the promotion, 3 of which came via finishes. The figures of his record can appear better than Tony Ferguson’s active record of 26-10.
Nevertheless, Ferguson has fought more high-level opponents and is a veteran of the sport with much more experience than Pimblett. The American fighter is not training with David Goggins for the next bout. This decision has fetched mixed reactions from the MMA community. It remains to be seen whether it benefits Ferguson or not. He has the experience to take on Pimblett but has consumed too much damage in his previous bouts. One more loss, and we might see ‘El Cucuy’ hag his gloves forever.
