Tony Ferguson releases statement after Paddy Pimblett loss at UFC 296

Tony Ferguson is marching on after his latest setback.

A lopsided unanimous decision loss to Paddy Pimblett at UFC 296 this past Saturday does not appear to have discouraged Ferguson, who has now seen his opponent’s hand raised in seven consecutive contests. Following the loss, the former UFC interim lightweight champion issued a message to his fans on Sunday via Instagram Stories:

Love my fans and supporters. You are all f****** fire. I met lots of you tonight, keep the faith MF’s. One foot in front of the other b******. Remember what I said crew — Champ.

It has been a tough go for supporters of “El Cucuy,” once one of the most feared fighters in the 155-pound division. Since a brutal fifth-round TKO loss to Justin Gaethje at UFC 249 in May 9, 2020, Ferguson has slumped against some of the toughest names in his weight class including Charles Oliveira, Beneil Dariush, and Michael Chandler, the last of whom left Ferguson out cold on the canvas with a front kick to the face.

On Saturday, Ferguson occasionally showed flashes of his former greatness, but was otherwise convincingly outgrappled by Pimblett.

Two months shy of his 40th birthday, it’s unclear how much time Ferguson has left as an active competitor, though he has frequently deflected talk of retirement. At the UFC 296 post-fight press conference, UFC CEO Dana White offered his opinion, stating “I would love to see Tony retire.”