Ferguson Padilla (Anthony Armand Ferguson Padilla) is an American UFC lightweight currently signed to the UFC or the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Ferguson fights in the lightweight division of UFC. He is a former interim UFC Lightweight Champion. October 2020 was a great month for boxer Tony Ferguson as he hinted at moving up to welterweight, chose his favorite fighter for the GOAT debate, and spiced up his career by saying to Khabib Nurmagomedov: We’ll fight ‘before he retires’.

What Has Tony Ferguson Been Up To In October?

1. COVID 19 affected Tony Ferguson’s career:

Ferguson (25-4) was supposed to fight Nurmagomedov (28-0) for the 155-pound championship in April, but the event was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This became the fifth time in five years that a fight between the two fell through because of unforeseeable circumstances. Ferguson ultimately lost to Justin Gaethje by fifth-round TKO in May,

2. Tony Ferguson made his choice between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Jon Jones in the GOAT debate:

Nurmagomedov, the reigning UFC Lightweight World Champion, stunned fans all over the world when he announced his retirement following a second-round submission win over Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 in October 2020.

His reason? Khabib Nurmagomedov said he made a promise to his mother that it would be his last fight without his father by his side. Khabib’s father and head coach, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov died a few months ago due to COVID-19 complications. The undefeated Russian also shed tears in the octagon while remembering his later father.

Retiring as an undefeated champion, people began to discuss his legacy and his place among the UFC’s elite, with some even placing him at the top of the heap.

While many did agree, some believed otherwise, and among those was former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones. Jon Jones has been very vocal about his opinion on the GOAT debate, saying that he has accomplished more and has faced far more elite-level talent than Khabib.

Then UFC welterweight Belal Muhammad recently chimed in, saying that a 205-pound Khabib would defeat a 205-pound Jones.

Tony Ferguson, however, is on Team Jones. The former interim UFC Lightweight Champion backed the former 205-pound king up by responding to one of Jones’ tweets about Khabib being put on a pedestal after facing just one big name in Conor McGregor.

“@jonnybones <——— This guy gets it – CSO,” said Ferguson in his trademark, obscure Twitter-speak.

3. Tony Ferguson thinks Khabib Nurmagomedov will RETURN from retirement:

At UFC 254, lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov delivered yet another dominating performance as he defeated Justin Gaethje via submission in the second round. However, after the event, The Eagle shocked the MMA world as he announced his retirement from the sport due to the death of his beloved father and coach.

Despite this, retirements in combat sports are often short-lived. Several fighters have announced retirement in the past, only to make their return for a huge purse. Conor McGregor is currently one of the biggest examples of it. The Notorious One has retired from the sport three times but is now in talks to make his return against Dustin Poirier in January 2021.

Similarly, Khabib Nurmagomedov’s biggest rival, Tony Ferguson, claimed that The Eagle would also return from retirement as he’s “gonna miss it like Conor”.

Tony Ferguson earlier predicted that Nurmagomedov would announce his retirement after UFC 254, and now predicts that he would return after taking a long rest and analysing his decision.

And if Khabib Nurmagomedov decides to make his return, Tony Ferguson will “be f*cking ready” for him. “Go handle your family business, and I’ll see you when you get here. Back. Because you’re gonna miss it like Conor (McGregor). So, you know what, I’m calling it out again, he’s going to be back. So, I’ll be f*cking ready,” Tony Ferguson said.

4. Tony Ferguson wants to fight Dustin Poirier for the title:

Khabib’s exit from the sport opens up a world of possibilities for the lightweight division and Ferguson feels it should be him vs Poirier for the soon to be vacated title. Tony Ferguson said both he and Poirier want to fight and he’s itching to get back in the octagon to win the title. “I’ve been doing my sh*t and making sure I’m keeping cool, calm and collected. Being real, give me the fucking title shot. Give me my chance. You guys want to see me fight, I really want to fight,” Tony Ferguson added.

5. He also wants to fight Nurmagomedov:

Khabib told ESPN that he doesn’t believe Ferguson, 36, will ever be the same after the damage he endured in his loss to Gaethje. Ferguson responded by guaranteeing that the two will still fight.

“I see fear in his voice if he thinks he has to talk bad about people,” Ferguson told ESPN. “He can’t put that s— in my head. I will fight Khabib at one point or another. He will see me before he retires. We’ll make that a point.

6. Tony Wants The UFC to renegotiate his contract.

“I think everybody is writing me off after one loss, and f— them. The casual fan base is trying to, but my hard-core fans are too much. They know too much. My value is way too much.”

He confirmed that former Bellator MMA champion Michael Chandler appears to be whom UFC president Dana White “wants me to fight,” but Ferguson said he wants the UFC to renegotiate his contract.

Tony Ferguson is not happy about the UFC offering newcomer Michael Chandler more money than him. Tony Ferguson has been with UFC for close to a decade now and spent eight years being undefeated inside the octagon before Justin Gaethje trumped him to capture the Interim Lightweight Championship.

Since then, Tony Ferguson was originally booked to fight Dustin Poirier in the co-main event of UFC 254 before talks fell through since UFC refused to offer Poirier the amount he asked for.

With Khabib Nurmagomedov seemingly vacating the Lightweight Championship, it’s all up for grabs and the four men who could be competing for the title are Michael Chandler, Tony Ferguson, Conor McGregor, and Dustin Poirier.

7. He says none of his opponents should get paid more than him except Conor McGregor:

Tony Ferguson spoke to Submission Radio and expressed his frustration over UFC offering his opponents more money than him:

“Don’t pay somebody more than me. Don’t pay anybody more than me,” Ferguson said. “If you’re going to pay Conor more than me, I understand that. But don’t pay anybody fucking more than me in this division, especially a new guy [Chandler].

Tony Ferguson expressed that he has earned the right to get paid better:

“I’ve earned this right. I’ve started from the mailroom all the way to the fucking beginning. I earned my right through Fuel TV, Spike TV, FOX, ESPN, all the switches between Reebok and losing sponsors — who’s their main fucking guy that stays here and has been the same fucking guy that started with cringe and became an asshole and then fucking became cool and then I’m a genius.”

Ferguson believes he was a “company man” in May, when he agreed to face Gaethje in the main event of UFC 249, the first event held after the UFC was forced to cancel five events because of COVID-19.

Perhaps that’s why Tony Ferguson hasn’t been getting paid better, but it also ultimately comes down to his management team and ability to negotiate with UFC.

Tony Ferguson changed his management teams, but it seems as though he’s still unhappy with what he’s being offered. It’s understandable, especially since he has been a title contender for a long time now.

8. “What’d I Do to You?” – Tony Ferguson said Dana White is treating him like sh*t:

Michael Chandler appears to be whom UFC president Dana White “wants me to fight,” but Ferguson said he wants the UFC to renegotiate his contract.

The former interim champ feels he has worked hard enough to earn his spot in the UFC. However, he believes that he has often been on the short end of the stick with Dana White.

“I’m not going to bulls—t anymore,” Ferguson said. “Dana is cool. Me and Dana are chill. But when it comes down to it, I want to be paid what I’m worth, and my value has increased.”

“I put out there a lot of energy. I don’t have to talk about it. I don’t have to talk about my contracts and say s–t about it because everybody else does that. I’m past that. I’ve been in this organization for 10-plus years,” Ferguson added.

9. Tony Ferguson asks Dana White if he doesn’t like Mexicans:

El Cucuy said, “Chandler? Think about this: How many times are you going to put another f—king person in the f—king shuffle of the cards? Dana keeps shuffling me down the list. What? Because I’m f—king Mexican? What’s up Dana, you don’t like Mexicans? You don’t like brown people?”

“I’m not going to call you a racist, but what the f—k, man? What’d I do to you? Why do you treat me like s–t? My last name is Ferguson. I don’t want to get mad anymore. I don’t. I’m not going to. But that being said, I said my piece. I’m too busy working,” Ferguson added.

Interesting Facts About Tony Ferguson:

Wins by Submission: 8
Wins by Decision: 5
Wins by Knockouts: 12
Current Titles: None
Reach: 72 in (183cm)
Weight: 155 lb / 70 kg
Weight Class: Lightweight

Early Career

At the beginning of his career, Ferguson fought in small organizations around California. Ferguson’s claim to fame was when he defeated kickboxing champion Joe Schilling and lost to Karen Darabedyan.

The Ultimate Fighter Career

After multiple applications to fight at UFC’s reality series The Ultimate Fighter, Ferguson was finally accepted in 2010 for the thirteenth season of the series. Thanks to his spectacular 10-2 professional record and victory at the welterweight championship in PureCombat.

UFC Career

Tony Ferguson began this career as the third pick as a welterweight for Lesnar’s team on The Ultimate Fighter: Team Lesnar vs. Team dos Santos. He defeated Justin Edwards by knockout in the first round in his first fight and then Ryan McGillivray in the quarterfinals with a TKO in the first round. At the semi-finals, Ferguson faced Chuck O’Neil and defeated him by a TKO in the third round and advanced to the final. He defeated Ramsey Nijem via Knockout in the first round itself at the finals and bagged a UFC contract and even received the Knockout of the Night bonus.

Although Ferguson was supposed to face Khabib Nurmagomedov for a third time at UFC 209and the interim UFC Lightweight Championship was on the line, Nurmagomedov was hospitalized due to the ill effects of his weight cut, resulting in the bout being cancelled.

Nurmagomedev was replaced by Kevin Lee as Ferguson’s opponent on October 7, 2017, at UFC 216 for the interim UFC Lightweight Championship. Ferguson defeated Kevin Lee by triangle choke submission in the third round.

For the fourth time, a fight between Ferguson and Nurmagomedov was scheduled at UFC 223. But this time Ferguson reported an Injury as he had torn his fibular collateral ligament while walking on the set for a pre-fight media obligation.

The fifth time would have been the charm as the fifth schedule of Ferguson and Khabib was supposed to take place on April 18, 2020, at UFC 249. But due to the coronavirus pandemic Nurmagomedov was unable to leave Russia and the fight got canceled again.

Tony Ferguson Net Worth

According to celebritynetworth.com, Tony Ferguson’s Net Worth is estimated to be $2 million as of 2020.

Championships and Achievements

National Collegiate Wrestling Association

NCWA National Champion – 2006
NCWA All-American – 2006 and 2007
North Central Conference Champion 2006 and 2007

Michigan High School Athletic Association

MHSAA Division IV State Champion – 2002
MHSAA Division IV All-State – 2000-2002

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Interim UFC Lightweight Championship – One time
The Ultimate Fighter 13 winner
Fight of the Night – Six times – vs. Edson Barboza, Lando Vannata, Rafael dos Anjos, Anthony Pettis, Donald Cerrone and Justin Gaethje
Knockout of the Night – One time – vs. Ramsey Nijem
Submission of the Night – One time – vs. Mike Rio
Performance of the Night – Three times – vs. Edson Barboza, Josh Thomson and Gleison Tibau
Longest winning streak in UFC lightweight history – 12 matches

PureCombat

PureCombat Welterweight Championship – One time

World MMA Awards

2018 Fight of the Year vs. Anthony Pettis

Weird Workouts:

Popular as one of MMA’s most eccentric personalities, Ferguson trains in his own custom gym at his house in Big Bear Lake, California.

He regularly posts videos of his workout routines on his personal Instagram. Some of the workouts are borderline weird. One such example is when he goes around smacking his arms and legs against metal poles to supposedly build bone strength. He even practices throwing baseballs off a pitchers’ mound. This is supposed to build power in his right hand. The list of his unique workouts is endless. His ‘unique’ fighting styles have regularly been the bud of jokes and comments from other fighters, some of whom have also gone to post parodies of Ferguson’s workouts on their Instagram pages.

Personal Details:

What is CSO, Tony Ferguson’s trademark lingo?

CSO, as most of you El Cucuy fans would know, stands for “Champ Sh*t Only”.

What is Tony Fergusons’s nickname? Why did he choose it?

El Cucuy is his famous nickname. In Mexico, “the boogeyman” is known as “El Cucuy,” which is an evil spirit that lurks in desolate caves lying in wait under beds, in closets, and on rooftops in search of disobedient children.

How old is Tony Ferguson?

Tony Ferguson was born on February 12, 1984. He is 36 years old.

Where is Tony Ferguson from?

Tony Ferguson was born in Oxnard, California, U.S. He currently fights from Ventura, California.

Who is Tony Ferguson married to?

Ferguson got married to Cristina Servin in June 2012. Together the couple has a son named Armand Anthony.

In March 2019, Tony Ferguson’s wife Cristina filed a restraining order against her husband claiming that Ferguson has been exhibiting uncharacteristic behavior such as severe paranoia, insomnia. She also falsely believed that a tracking chip was inserted into his leg during reconstructive knee surgery.

All the paranoia has led to erratic behaviour on Ferguson’s end where he tore apart their home fireplace. Christina however has not claimed abuse or violence from Ferguson. According to her, the restraining order was just a precautionary measure to get Ferguson the necessary help for his mental state. In April 2019, Christina dropped all the charges and Ferguson resumed fighting.