After some significant changes in his training camp, Tony
Ferguson says he is a “brand new person” going into his fight
against Michael
Chiesa at
UFC on ABC 7.
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Ferguson will trade leather against fellow veteran Chiesa in a
welterweight matchup at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.
Once the owner of a 12-bout winning streak, Ferguson has since
dropped seven bouts in a row. Ferguson will surpass BJ Penn for the
longest losing streak in UFC history if he falls to Chiesa.
However, “El Cucuy” has made some significant changes in his
training regimen, starting with joining Eddie Bravo’s 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu. Ferguson
claims to have sparred over 120 rounds, which was facilitated by a
feeling of safety with trusted training partners. The 40-year-old
also says he underwent two surgeries this past January. He has
since fully recovered from those procedures.
“I lost track after a 120 [rounds]. So to be real, finding a
comfortable enough area with the team that I can trust, good people
that will push the pace with me. Not just go and try to take my
head off so I get pissed off and try to break their s—t,” Ferguson
told ESPN. “I’m in a good spot, less of a weight cut
this time. So mentally, physically I feel a lot better and Michael
Chiesa is gonna have his hands full. I’m a brand new person.
Two surgeries out in January, here we are in the middle of f—-ing
August so I’m ready to go.”
Ferguson and Chiesa were previously slated to fight in 2016 before
Chiesa pulled out due to injury Chiesa was replaced on short notice
by Lando
Vannata, who suffered s second-round submission loss against
Ferguson. While “Maverick” claims his preparation for the upcoming
clash is quite similar to last time, Ferguson warns that he is not
the same fighter. Ferguson promises to display his recently
improved wrestling game and look for a quick finish.
“I’m definitely not the same person,” he said. “So I prepared for
Michael
Chiesa a couple of times… He’s like one of my previous fighters
that I went up against, Ramsey
Nijem. Uses strikes to go for a takedown. But I did a lot of
wrestling this camp, and it’s been a while since I remember that I
was a wrestler. So you’re gonna see some interesting things but I’m
gonna go in there looking for the finish fast.”
Currently on a three fight skid, Chiesa has been primarily focused
on his analyst duties for the UFC in recent times. The 36-year-old
suffered a first-round submission loss against Kevin
Holland at UFC 291 in July 2023, which marked his return to
action after a hiatus of nearly two years.