Tony Ferguson returns to the Octagon at UFC 274 in a three-round fight against Michael Chandler in what promises to be an exciting match-up in the UFC’s lightweight division. Ahead of the fight, Chandler appeared on DC&RC and shared his thoughts on El Cucuy.
“Tony Ferguson has always been a perennial top guy. We are only a couple of years removed from that illustrious 12-fight win-streak that he was on where he looked undefeatable. Possibly, could have even beaten Khabib. There were a lot of people who were picking him to beat Khabib. There were a lot of people who were picking him to beat Khabib, would that have happened, we don’t know, because we never saw it.”
Bringing up an old debate, Chandler once again pointed out the prominence of Tony Ferguson during his winning days. El Cucuy was seen as one of the most formidable opponents for former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Tony Ferguson will step inside the Octagon in the back of three straight losses to his name. Fergusons saw his 12-fight winning streak snapped against Justin Gaethje after he failed to get his hands on the interim gold in a crushing loss by the Human Highlight. Since then, he has dropped back-to-back unanimous decision losses against Charles Oliveira and Beneil Dariush.
Michael Chandler believes Tony Ferguson is still dangerous heading into UFC 274
Michael Chandler believes Tony Ferguson is still a dangerous opponent, and while he may have lost in his last three outings, however, the kind of opponents he has faced speaks volumes about his mixed martial arts prowess.
“I see Tony Ferguson as a guy who is still extremely dangerous, still always performs well, even if he runs into the toughest guys in the division. That’s what we are doing, and you know when you’re fighting the toughest guys in the division, you’re gonna take losses. You can beat anybody on any given night, and you can lose to anybody on any given night.” Chandler stated.
It’s hard not to agree with Chandler as Ferguson has faced some of the best that the division has to offer. Tony Ferguson’s last outing came against Beneil Dariush, prior to which he took on Charles Oliveira.
As it stands right now, Oliveira reigns as the undisputed lightweight champion of the world with a stoppage win over the likes of Michael Chandler and Dustin Poirier since fighting El Cucuy.
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While the best day of Tony Ferguson might be past us, it goes without saying that El Cucuy is still quite dangerous, and his grit and determination stand next to none whenever he steps inside the cage.