Tony Ferguson goes off on 'washed up' criticism for Salt Papi fight: 'That's more fuel for my fire'

Yahoo

4 days ago

Tony Ferguson is ready to turn over a new leaf as a boxer.
One of the most beloved MMA fighters of the past decade, Ferguson moved on from the UFC after his August 2024 fight against Michael Chiesa. The former interim lightweight champion initially planned to kick off 2025 by sticking to MMA with a matchup against Dillon Danis for the startup Global Fight League (GFL) promotion, however the GFL hit a snag prior to its debut events and now appears to be dead.
Ferguson hasn't given up on his combat journey though, as "El Cucuy" instead shifted his focus to professional boxing. He's set to meet Nathaniel "Salt Papi" Bustamante at Misfits Boxing 22 on Aug. 30.
"With the GFL and everything that was kind of going on, it was hit and miss," Ferguson said. "We would get a date and we would get a location, then nothing. Something would fall through.
"I told Lloyd [Pierson], my agent, 'Hey, we've got to stay busy.' We reached out, we did some networking and made this happen [with Misfits].
"I've been wanting to box since I was little, and I was never allowed," Ferguson continued. "My dad said, 'You're going to have to play a sport where you can get a scholarship, and you can go do that because I'm not going to pay for that s***.' I wasn't able to box with UFC. Nothing against that. The focus was all on that. Now I get to put shoes on, I get to put on boxing gloves, and I get to not worry about other things I used to not worry about. This is fun because it's a whole new sport."
Ferguson, 41, has been on a rough stretch since compiling one of the greatest runs in UFC lightweight history — a 12-fight undefeated streak from 2013 to 2020. The former interim champ has since lost eight straight, and parted ways with the UFC having set a new promotional record for its longest losing skid.
Boxing will be a new foray for him, but Ferguson's violent striking style was a staple of his MMA game throughout his rise to prominence. And the chirping has already begun, as Ferguson and his debut opponent attended Wednesday's Misfits Boxing 22 pre-fight press conference in London.
"I saw this guy face to face — he did not talk about knocking me out face-to-face," Ferguson said of Bustamante. "He didn't say the same thing when I was in front of him. I made sure I sized my hand up with his, and I made sure that he understood where I was coming from, that I'm not f***ing joking around. He has eight fights underneath his belt. I have zero [in boxing], but I'm going to take that one and it's going to be mine.
"I'm excited because my weight has been low. I've been keeping it [low] instead of 200, 205, where I'm usually comfortable. Pops gave me the best recommendation when GFL was on the way — keep your weight low, so that way you don't have to keep making weight all the time and fluctuating weight. So I've been at 175 [pounds] steady, f***ing hungry and I'm ready to go. ... I don't f*** around."
Despite going winless over the past six years, Ferguson's confidence doesn't appear to have wavered one bit. Instead, he's fueled by the new opportunity. And though the MMA community has pleaded with "El Cucuy" to call it a career, it's only motivated him further to pursue what he believes he's capable of.
"90% of the f***ing comments out there are saying that I'm washed up, I'm old, and I should f***ing retire and all this other bulls***," Ferguson said. "They're saying that because they can't f***ing do this s*** that I'm doing. It's crazy. The other 20% is saying that 'Salt Papi' is going to knock me out. So 100% of you b****es are out there hating on me. You know what? That's more fuel for my fire.
"I wouldn't say I feel completely disrespected because this age group is completely different, right? I'm talking to dudes that are interviewing me that started watching me when they were five, now they're 23. I'm old. I'm 41 years old and halfway to 82. When it comes down to it, I'm still moving like I'm f***ing young, and I'm not going to quit moving, dude. I've been doing this since I was four or three years old."