Ferguson fires coaches, says he’s ready to get back on track

• Tony Ferguson has undergone significant changes.
• He is determined to turn things around.
• Ferguson has set a goal of winning 5 fights before retiring.

Tony Ferguson, the former interim UFC lightweight champion, has undergone significant changes in his training camp.

He decided to part ways with coaches whom he considered “toxic” and who doubted his abilities, believing he was no longer up to par. Looking ahead to his upcoming bout against Bobby Green at UFC 291, scheduled to take place at the Delta Center, Utah, Ferguson expressed his determination in a pre-fight press conference.

He vehemently stated that he is unaccustomed to losing and made it clear that he is ready to take on any challenges that come his way.

“I’m not used to losing,” Ferguson said during a UFC 291 pre-fight press conference. “I’ll show you guys. I’ve been competing in sports since I was maybe four, five. I’ve been competing in sports for 30-plus years at the highest level.

“Man, you get burned out. Pandemic. It took a full pandemic for me to lose my 12-fight win streak. Not angry at it, but I had to fire some coaches,” he said. “I had to fire some people. Because I was trying to get them back, and they weren’t good for me. It was toxic. It was toxic to me and I didn’t realize it.

“I can go and reiterate some things, but I won’t. What I’ll say is my focus is back,” he said.

“I feel at this time in my life that I’m just barely hitting my prime, which is crazy,” Ferguson claimed.

Ferguson also shared his goals before saying goodbye to the octagon.

“I’m gonna be done when I want to be done,” Ferguson said. “But I’m also gonna have to do what I have to do in order to get where I want to get. Five fights then a title, baby. I’m out.”

Ferguson has been experiencing a tough phase in the UFC, losing five consecutive matches. One of his recent fights was against renowned American MMA icon Nate Diaz, who defeated him by submission in the fourth round on September 10, 2022.

Diaz, on the other hand, had an impressive run, securing 12 consecutive victories from October 2013 to June 2019 before winning his last fight.

Tony’s most recent triumph inside the cage occurred at UFC 238 on June 8, 2019, where he faced off against another American MMA talent, Donald Cerrone, and emerged victorious with a second-round TKO.