Khabib Pays Respects to Tony Ferguson and Wishes Him Well in UFC ‘Retirement’

Ben King

From tearing through the division with what used to be the longest winning streak by a star in the lightweight division to having the longest losing streak in the company, Tony Ferguson has truly done it all.

And now it would appear the time has come to move on. But the legend that he has been, Ferguson’s supposed farewell also included some kind words from his one-time rival, Khabib Nurmagomedov.

While we’re still unclear at this moment if this will be Tony’s final UFC outing, his performance in Abu Dhabi was nothing like the prime Tony Ferguson. Regardless, the undefeated lightweight champion weighed in on El Cucuy’s last fight, his storied career, and what lies ahead.

Just to brush back your memory, the UFC tried to book the two multiple times, but to the dismay of the fans, the bout never came to fruition after both pulled out several times due to various reasons.

As ‘The Boogeyman’, Ferguson was an absolute animal back during his glory days. The gritty star never said no and carried his heart on his sleeve. His wins over prime Rafael Dos Anjos, Edson Barboza, Kevin Lee, Anthony Pettis, etc. made him a favorite among the fans.

However, it all fell apart after he met Justin Gaethje inside the octagon. Suffering a TKO loss at the hands of ‘The Highlight,’ Ferguson skidded off into the abyss with eight back-to-back losses, with Michael Chiesa marking the latest one.

While experts and fellow fighters have urged Tony to hang up his gloves, the fighter, despite the slump, looks optimistic and even after Saturday’s submission loss. In fact, during his octagon interview with Daniel Cormier, he simply said that he loved the UFC and didn’t want to go anywhere else. He relayed that he didn’t want to retire either.

“I don’t want to retire, I really don’t. But I love the UFC and I really don’t wanna go anywhere else. So I’m not gonna put both gloves down, I’m gonna put down one.”

However, millions of fans across the world with a heavy heart have come to an understanding that they will never see the prime Tony Ferguson ever again, and this might as well be the last one in the books.

Ben King