At
UFC 262, Tony
Ferguson looked to be far removed from the 12-bout winning
streak he authored from 2013 to 2019.
“El Cucuy” was outgrappled and largely dominated over the course of
three rounds in Saturday’s co-main event at the Toyota Center in
Houston, as Beneil
Dariush rolled to a unanimous decision triumph in their
lightweight bout. That makes three straight defeats for “The
Ultimate Fighter 13” winner, who also has fallen to Justin
Gaethje and Charles
Oliveira in lopsided fashion over the course of the past
year.
Ferguson took a tremendous amount of damage in the interim
lightweight title against Gaethje at UFC 249 in May 2020 and he
hasn’t been the same since. The Team Death Clutch representative is
also 37 years old, which is an time when many high-level athletes
begin to experience a decline. According to UFC president Dana
White, both factors could have contributed to Ferguson’s recent
woes.
“It could be (the Gaethje fight), it could be, just, time gets us
all,” White said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “It’s
one of those things. I don’t know which one, or both. But
unfortunately, it’s definitely hit Tony.”
That slump make for an uncertain future going forward for Ferguson.
He’s no longer at the top of the lightweight division after three
consecutive lopsided losses, but he’s a big enough name that
matchmaking for him should remain interesting.
In the immediate aftermath of UFC 262, White was unable to map out
a clear path for the former interim champion. He did, however,
praise Ferguson’s toughness for continuing to fight after being
caught in a tight heel hook from Dariush in the second round.
“I haven’t even thought about it,” White said. “He’s tough as hell
though, man. He was in that heel hook and his ankle was definitely
popping and his ankle the rest of the fight looked like a golf
ball. Maybe even a baseball. He kept fighting. There’s no quit in
that dude. He’s tough.
“He had a tough three rounds. He couldn’t get up from underneath
Beneil, and he had a tough night. So I don’t know. We’ll see what
happens.”