Tony Ferguson has reiterated that he does not intend to retire, and he’s even got a big post-UFC 296 plan in mind.
Ferguson (25-9 MMA, 15-7 UFC) will look to snap a six-fight losing skid when he takes on Paddy Pimblett (20-3 MMA, 4-0 UFC) Dec. 16 in Las Vegas. The name Pimblett excited Ferguson when it was brought up to him, and the former interim lightweight champion wants to go after another international superstar if he’s able to get back into the win column.
“I have nothing against the kid. Patrick seems like a pretty legit dude,” Ferguson told ESPN. “He gets pretty big, his standup is OK, but his ground game is a lot better. I love fighting internationals. It’s cool, I love it.
“Going after Khabib for a long time and going after ‘McNuggets’ (Conor McGregor), this is about as close as it’s going to get for right now. So as soon as we get through this dude, we’ll go after Conor if he’ll sign on the dotted line and get through USADA.”
Ferguson was in line to fight then-lightweight champ Conor McGregor after winning the interim title in October 2017 at UFC 216, but a unification bout never came to fruition.
Ferguson said he has reunited with his old team and insists that he hasn’t lost a step despite his losing streak showing otherwise.
“I have sh*t to do. I’ve been competing for 35 years. I’m not even close to being done,” Ferguson said. “What it’s going to take is a great team that got me to my championship belt, my interim belt. I had a great team. But holding on to certain things can sometimes be very detrimental to yourself, which sometimes you just got to let go and hold onto the things that hold onto you very tight. And that goes faith, family, and friends.”
Although Ferguson is aware of the narrative that the UFC could be using him to continue building Pimblett’s star power, the 39-year-old said his desire to compete is still there.
“I don’t want to retire. It’s not in my f*cking thought process,” Ferguson said. “It’s not about getting cut. It’s not about doing all this stuff. It’s about competing. And what I did was I started competing without one, having fun, and two, really giving 100 percent into my training. I thought I did, but that means I have to be coachable. I have to be a student again. I have to ask for help.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 296.
