If Tony Ferguson gets to compete in the UFC one more time, Jon Anik sees a fellow veteran as a good option.
Ferguson (25-11 MMA, 15-9 UFC) now has lost a UFC record eight consecutive fights after a a first-round submission to Michael Chiesa this past Saturday at UFC on ABC 7. UFC CEO Dana White said prior to the fight that he hoped Ferguson would retire regardless of the outcome, but Ferguson has other ideas.
“El Cucuy” laid down one glove after losing to Chiesa and later said he hopes to remain in the UFC. If he does get another opportunity in the octagon, Anik thinks Joe Lauzon (28-15 MMA, 15-12 UFC) is the fight to make.
“I was Googling Joe Lauzon to make sure that he never fought Tony Ferguson because, as I sit here and think about opponents that might make sense for Tony to try to realize some sort of success, Joe Lauzon still has fights left on his contract and, for whatever reason, hasn’t competed, but I think that fight makes some sense,” Anik told Submission Radio.
Lauzon, 40, hasn’t competed since a TKO of Jonathan Pearce in 2019, which snapped a three-fight losing skid. The Season 5 “Ultimate Fighter” alum deemed himself semi-retired and said he’d contemplate fighting again if there was something highly intriguing for him. Last August, Lauzon campaigned to fight at UFC 292 in Boston but was told by the UFC that his services weren’t needed.
Either way, Anik, the UFC’s lead play-by-play commentator, hopes Ferguson is honored at the end of his career. Prior to his eight-fight losing skid, Ferguson had won 12 straight fights, including an interim lightweight title.
“The rainbow-colored nature of Tony Ferguson’s Wikipedia page, bro,” Anik said. “I mean, it is indeed crazy to see 12 green stripes followed by eight red stripes. I do hope that we just put Tony Ferguson in the Hall of Fame.”
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