There was a time when Tony Ferguson looked unstoppable and if it weren't for the absolute dominance of Khabib at the top spot, that Fergie was headed to championship gold. However, something started to happen to Tony around this time last year and he has been unable to regain his former glory.
Personally, I was kind of surprised that he maintained his number 5 ranking ahead of the likes of McGregor and Dos Anjos after he dropped 2 straight although these losses were to really good opponents who upon their victory over Ferguson saw themselves rightfully leapfrog him in the rankings.
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Tony has a long history with the UFC and no doubt has enjoyed a rather wonderful position with the boss because he used to guarantee top-flight performances and after this past weekend's bout, I think we can say that he still does. He gives it all he has in every single fight but unfortunately for him, it appears as though his ground game just really doesn't have what it takes to compete at a top level anymore.
At UFC 262 the world kind of saw a weakness in his game: Against someone with a good ground game, he is in a very bad position. I still maintain that he is one of the best "stand-up" fighters in all of the UFC but if you know anything about the sport, that isn't nearly good enough because this isn't boxing or kickboxing. You gotta be able to work on the ground as well and when we faced Beneil Dariush this past weekend, once it hit the ground it was all Dariush all 15 minutes of the fight.
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Dariush took Ferguson to the ground in what appeared to be a quite easy fashion time and time again and Beneil's superior ground game was obviously getting the best of Tony even really early on. In the above image, Dariush got Tony in a submission that everyone watching was very surprised he got out of. The twist on his knee and ankle clearly got the best of him and when round 3 started Tony's stand up game (which is the strength of his overall offense) was clearly affected by this.
When the scorecards were tallied, exactly no one was surprised that it was a unanimous victory for Beneil Dariush.
Now here is the problem for Tony Ferguson: He, like many other aging superstars has been "found out" by the opposition. Any time he faces anyone in the future they are not going to try to stand up with him but instead take him to the ground where he is his weakest.
Despite coming into this fight as the underdog, Dariush's camp quite clearly focused on his ground game and that was his strategy from the very start: Get Ferguson on the ground, smother him, and get the win. It is hard to believe that Beneil was a relatively unknown fighter and a lot of people didn't recognize his name even once this fight began. I had to search my mind to even recall ever seeing him fight before.
Even though I find ground game involving Jujutsu to be a bit boring (and the crowd was actually booing at several points because most people find it boring) you can't argue with how effective it is.
I would imagine that we see Dariush leapfrog to 6th place and see Ferguson drop to at least 8th after UFC bothers to update their friggin website, which still has a blank space in the Champ slot even though several days have passed since the event.
The official UFC website has a terrible track record for accurate statistics and rankings
After the fight, Dana White had very little to say about the fight and also about Tony's future when he said this
"“Time gets us all man. It’s definitely got to Tony.”
This is bad news for Tony Ferguson because White has a history of releasing underperforming fighters, including and especially if they have fallen from grace the way that Tony has and even more so if they are older and have very little chance of making a comeback. Even if Tony wins his next fight the question remains who it is that they would even put him against? I would imagine someone like Dan Hooker, who has also recently suffered an embarrassing defeat in a "win or get released Tony" sort of match. Hooker's future is still kind of guaranteed for the time being because he is only 30 years old but Tony, who is nearing 40, is in the "getting sent out to pasture (or Bellator)" department.
Personally, I think that this is what is going to happen to Tony. He is going to get one....last....chance in a must win situation and it will not be on a pay-per-view event either. It will be on a fight night because this is a place where he could actually be a main or co-main event. His days in the spotlight are behind him now but he has nothing to be ashamed of. However, I do think his days in UFC are numbered and by this time next year, barring some sort of miracle, that "El Cucuy" will no longer be with the promotion.
Got any thoughts on this?
Just don't understand sportsmen who just can't retire at the top and hand around like a bad smelling fart. What gets me is it taints their careers as everyone remembers their last fights and not what they achieved over their careers.
This is very true but we need to look at the other side of this as well. If they can still make money, they may as well milk it for all it is worth. What else is Tony going to do with his cauliflower ears? Sell used cars for a living?
You're so right! They want their last fix, "one and done I swear", and it never ends well.
Like so many sports, now that he has been used and abused, he'll likely be cast aside after this next fight. Sport can be so ruthless.
There are a lot of fighters that see a fall from grace, but Tony's has been more rapid than most. I am sure there is a lot of animosity over this and while Dana appears to be a "nice guy" his devotion is to his own wallet first, that much is for sure.
Yep, you can be sure of that, ref Dana!
I can't remember who said it but it was spot on: Tony made his mark by being unconventional. However, when time starts to break down the body and those fast twitch muscle stop firing quite as quick... The only thing that can save you is technique
I don't want to see anymore in the UFC
It will be interesting to see who he is matched up with in his next fight. If it is a top 5 guy, Tony is done. He is one of the toughest fighters who seems to never tire but he seems to have lost some of his explosiveness that he relied on earlier in his career. If he gets matched up with a younger fighter, serving as a gatekeeper, we could definitely see a vintage El Cucuy performance and maybe he is able to rejuvenate his career.
This could go two ways. Dana White is known for using washed up fighters with a still big name in order to propel lower level guys into the limelight. He did this with Johny Hendricks and Anderson Silva. Tony already lost (just this past week) to a guy barely in the top 10. I think his next fight will be with someone even lower, perhaps even unranked. Tony better win that one!
Or it could be a complete turnaround for El Cucuy, which I think is far less likely. The division that he is in is quite possibly the most talented and not a great place to be if you are fading.
You are correct about his loss of quickness but I feel his greater deficiency is that he seems to be almost helpless on the ground. If his camp has any sense at all, they will be focusing exclusively on his ground game from now until his next fight.
Dana definitely likes to set those up! Ultimately I believe that Beniel was able to dominate Tony was that he is technically sound everywhere. If Tony is matched up against someone similar he is in trouble. Tony’s best bet is an overhyped prospect with a hole in his game that he is able to exploit.
I wish Dana was more interested in matching up his veterans with other veterans, instead of up and coming killers.
Remember, that all these comments of all the people that were vouching for Tony, are now finding reasons for his failures, it must have a massive impact of a fighter's confidence.
What they use to praise him for, is now subject of criticism, like his weird angles, spinning shits, work on his back, are now seen as sloppiness, whereas it was praised during his 12 fights win streak.
Tony was always ma favourite fighter, since the Ultimate Fighter years, and will always be regarded a one of a kind individual.
I just wished most fighters would retire the way GSP did, and really protect their legacy.
You have no idea how positive the impact can be on the rest of your life, and career: In other word, it will help you live longer, and even find a better job using your reputation as a springboard.
I see it exactly as trading, and stocks. Sell while it's hot, you don't wanna be the last one to sell in the dip, and sell at loss.
Retire while you're on the top, that's a smart entrepreneurial move.
oh and I agree. Veteran vs Veteran would be much more fair and I think plenty of people would turn up for those fights as well. Would you rather see to aged legends in the ring, or a washed up fighter who is obviously being used as a springboard for the new guy? I know which I would rather see.
Yeah me too bro, but with 500 fighters in the roaster, they have to push the young guns, who will weed out the old farts (like us) 😄
Definitely, even if it is just to do promotional work for a business of some sort, people are always going to be more excited by a guy that left in his prime rather than someone that faded away. I suppose each fighter has to weight the financial pros and cons. In Tony's case, if he wins his next fight, I think he should retire before the sport retires him. If he loses his legacy will likely be forever tarnished. It's sad but true that people tend to focus on the failures of a fighter rather than the 8 years of glory that came before.
I hope he has that person in his entourage that will have the guts to say it. Have you heard of the rumour that GSP was getting ready for a boxing fight against Oscar de La Hoya, and got stopped by Dana White? It would have been a Triller fight, and the money would be given to charity! You can make a post about it if you want, I can't write a post this week 😄