Tony Ferguson says he was not able to operate at maximum capacity for the majority of his UFC 291 loss to Bobby Green, and it likely played a key role in the result.
Ferguson (25-9 MMA, 15-7 UFC) suffered his sixth consecutive loss on Saturday when he succumbed to a third-round technical submission from Green (30-15-1 MMA, 11-9-1 UFC) in their lightweight bout at Delta Center in Salt Lake City. After having some promising moments in the opening minutes, an eye poke from Green caused a halt in the action.
The contest ultimately resumed, and Green managed to build momentum as time wore on before he finished the fight with just seconds remaining in the final round. The aftermath of the bout has not been kind to Ferguson, with many in the MMA community calling for the 39-year-old to hang up the gloves and retire.
That doesn’t appear to be part of his plans, however, because in a statement issued on his social media, Ferguson said he was “significantly” compromised due to the eye poke, but didn’t want to have the fight deemed a no contest, so he pushed through.
Additionally, Ferguson made it clear he’s not walking away, but will meet with his team and the UFC brass to decide the best path forward for his career (via Instagram):
Walked into the Delta🏟️Center to show the world I was back on track 💯 The preparation for this fight was exceptional & it was one of the best⛰️camps I’ve had 🥇
As the fight began, I was in the🔥Xone, flowing & feeling confident 🦹♂️ Bobby knew the direction of the fight & I believe he knew what he was doing when he🫵poked my👁️eye. He has a big History of moves like this 🎓 It significantly impaired my vision, making it difficult to see clearly out of my eye. Despite this eye poke I never considered stopping the fight 👎 Although the👨⚕️doc wanted too. Throughout my career, I’ve always pushed through challenges & never given up 💯 This time was no different.
Unfortunately in sports, setbacks like this are part of the journey 🚶♂️💨🍃 While I won’t use the eye poke as an excuse for the outcome, I know for a fact I have more to give. 🚣💨🍃
Moving forward, I plan to work closely with Dana, Hunter & my entire team to assess what’s next 🥋
I’d like to take a moment to say thank🙏you to my❤️Wife, my👨👩👦👦Family & my Fans 🫡 Your support means the world to me & it’s what drives me to keep pushing forward & striving for greatness 📈 Thank you all for being by my🤝side through the highs & lows of this sport that I love. Eye appointment tomorrow, some recovery & back after it 🔜 Love you all- Champ 🦹♂️ -CSO- 🇺🇸🏆🇲🇽 #ufc291 Salt Lake City, Utah 🏔️ #AyMoe WooWooWooWoo Knyuck knyuck knyuck 🖖 #ballsofsteel #FuckEm’IfTheyCantTakeAJoke 🥇
Ferguson has not earned a victory since June 2019. His current six-fight skid includes defeats to Green, Nate Diaz, Michael Chandler, Beneil Dariush, Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 291.
