Tony Ferguson reveals that he wanted to sue the UFC in 2018! During a press conference for the upcoming UFC 274, Tony revealed that he was not happy with how things transpired during the UFC 223 fight week.
Then interim champ, El Cucuy was all set to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 223 for the vacant Undisputed Lightweight title. But unfortunately, Tony could not make it to the event after tripping on a loose cable at the Fox tv studio. He suffered an LCL ligament injury which ruled him out of the fight.
Al Iaquinta ultimately replaced Ferguson and faced Khabib for the 155lbs title. The Eagle beat Iaquinta to capture the belt and went on a historic run of fights. Nurmagomedov retired in 2020 with an unbeaten record of 29-0. Ferguson on the other hand is yet to fight for the Undisputed Championship since then.
Although he was not pleased with the way the UFC handled the situation, Tony kept it quiet as he wanted to be a ‘company man.’ However, the 38-year-old has finally opened up 4 years later and shed some light on what went through his head at the time. Ferguson said,
“I’m waiting for insurance. I have been competing in this sport for a long time. I took a bad fall at FOX (and) they took my title from me. I don’t even have to go into the Miller-Ayala act. Where an agent is not supposed to be competing in the same sport as you.”
“So I mean when it comes down to that and then I’m getting stripped off my title because I fu**ing took a bad fall in accident? I should have sued.”
Tony Ferguson questions UFC’s treatment it’s of fighters
Tony Ferguson also revealed that he did not receive any kind of special treatment from the UFC after he suffered the knee injury. He pointed toward Chris Weidman’s leg break and the VIP treatment he received. Chris was apparently flown in a private plane, whereas Tony was not afforded such luxury.
“I’ll always be here for the company. Will they be here for me? When I got injured, I didn’t get a flight home. I got treated the same way. Chris Weidman, he got a personal flight back. I couldn’t fu**ing walk. So I’m not sure what the corporate (policy) is, you know what I mean? But there are some questions to be raised on how they treat their athletes, that’s for sure!”
Tony Ferguson is not the only fighter to raise questions about UFC’s treatment of its fighters. The current Heavyweight Champion Francis Ngannou was also very outspoken about the issue. However, nothing seems to have come out of it.
𝑬𝒍 𝑪𝒖𝒄𝒖𝒚 🕶🏆⚾️
— UFC (@ufc) May 4, 2022
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Regardless of the issues, Tony Ferguson will fight Michael Chandler this Saturday at UFC 274. He is coming back after a long layoff. Can he dust off the recent setbacks and rediscover his old form? Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below.