Tony Ferguson News

Tom Taylor - October 10, 2017

Last weekend, in the main event of UFC 216, Tony Ferguson and Kevin Lee stepped into the Octagon to battle for the UFC interim lightweight title. Despite a rough first round, Ferguson surged back in the second, and ultimately locked up a choke in the third. In the days leading up to this fight, much was made of Kevin Lee’s massive cut down to the fight’s 156-pound limit. When Lee barely made weight for this title fight, discussions about his massive cut down to lightweight became even more rampant.

Russell Ess - October 10, 2017

Being a fighter and commentator in the UFC can sometimes put you in an odd position as calling the fights might strain the relationship you have with some of your fellow fighters. This seems to be the case with Daniel Cormier, who commentated the UFC 216 broadcast and apparently Tony Ferguson who fought Kevin Lee in the main event did not like what Cormier had to say during the broadcast. Ferguson won the UFC interim lightweight title by submitting Lee with a triangle choke in the third round and then fired some tweets at D.C. while interacting with a bunch of  fellow Twitter users on Monday

Justin Golightly - October 10, 2017

Tony Ferguson did it. He marched through a long hard road out of hell and shined in the moment he needed it most. After submitting Kevin Lee to become the interim UFC lightweight champion, he did what anyone would do: Call out Conor McGregor. After all, he’s the real champion, he’s never defended a belt, and it’s the biggest fight to make at lightweight besides Nate Diaz. McGregor’s coach recently weighed in on the match-up and he doesn’t like Ferguson’s chances after the two wars with another durable, rangy fighter who’s slick on the mat. “[Tony Ferguson]’s good, obviously. He wouldn’t be the interim champion if he wasn’t good. His style is, you know, it’s not traditional, it’s a bit unorthodox and stuff, but I just honestly think that Conor [McGregor]’s going to be way too clean for Ferguson. If Ferguson tries to stand with Conor for an extended period of time it will be lights out, in my opinion. You know, he’s tough as well, he’s tough and durable, so he may take a couple of smacks, but at the end of the day Conor’s going to be way too clean and too technical to… he won’t get touched. That’s my opinion. But yeah, it will be an interesting one and it will be an exciting fight as well because Ferguson does come to fight and he’s aggressive, he goes in, he looks to finish fights, so it will be exciting. But yeah, without a doubt if he wants to stand and bang with Conor it’ll be lights out fairly quick, I think.”

Tom Taylor - October 10, 2017

Last weekend, in the main event of UFC 216, Tony Ferguson defeated Kevin Lee to capture the UFC interim lightweight title. In the wake of this title win, Ferguson quickly set his sights on a title unification battle with undisputed champion Conor McGregor, and according to UFC President Dana White, this is indeed the direction things are headed. On Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour, the new champ Tony Ferguson discussed his desired bout with McGregor. Apparently, he’s taking White’s word, and believes the UFC will attempt to book this fight.

Tom Taylor - October 8, 2017

Last night, the UFC touched down in Las Vegas, Nevada with the absolutely thrilling UFC 216. In the main event, we saw streaking lightweight stars Tony Ferguson and Kevin Lee collide for the UFC interim lightweight title. Though Lee started strong, nearly finishing Ferguson in the first, Ferguson surged back in the later rounds, ultimately putting Lee away with a choke in the third round. While Lee performed admirably against Ferguson, it was initially a bit of a surprise when he was announced as Ferguson’s opponent. The expectation instead was that the UFC would make its latest attempt at booking an interim title fight between Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov – a booking that has fallen through many times in the past.

Tom Taylor - October 8, 2017

Last night, the UFC touched down in Las Vegas, Nevada with the absolutely thrilling UFC 216. In the main event, we saw streaking lightweights Tony Ferguson and Kevin Lee collide for the UFC interim lightweight title. Though Lee started strong, nearly finishing Ferguson in the first, Ferguson surged back in the later rounds, ultimately putting Lee away with a choke in the third. With this win, Ferguson is now the UFC interim lightweight champion. From here, the widespread hope is that he will battle undisputed champion Conor McGregor somewhere down the road. Yet given that McGregor has potentially more lucrative scraps with Nate Diaz, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and even Paulie Malignaggi available, nothing is certain.

Tom Taylor - October 8, 2017

Well that escalated quickly ….@TonyFergusonXT #UFC216 pic.twitter.com/B5zJBv4dOV — UFC (@ufc) October 8, 2017

Chris Taylor - October 7, 2017

Tony Ferguson became the UFC’s interim lightweight champion in the headliner of tonight’s UFC 216 event in Las Vegas by scoring a third-round submission victory over Kevin Lee. Here is how the pros reacted to Tony Ferguson’s title claiming victory:

Justin Golightly - October 7, 2017

No matter how you feel about Tony Ferguson, whether you think he’s ‘weird’ or just don’t  like him, you can admit that he’s just different. If he’s not in workout clothes, he’s dressed like he just walked out of The Continental hotel with a new tactical suit. And what’s the deal with the shades? Then, he starts talking. Conversation jumps from subject to subject, a metaphor might slip out and confuse you, it’s just like his fighting style: All over the place. When asked to comment on his opponent’s criticisms of his style, he spoke like we’re witnessing an evolution.  “It’s very intellectual. The reason why you guys say [my style]’s weird is because you don’t understand it. It’s f-cking genius. Let me tell you, it’s so far past your guys’ heads it’s not even funny, because this is the next stage in everybody’s evolution. I’ve been working on this since 2008; actually, before that. I said I had a double doctorate in athletics, I’m working on my triple.”

Russell Ess - October 6, 2017

The weigh-ins for UFC 216 were filled with suspense as Kevin Lee waited till the very last moment to weigh in for his UFC interim title fight against Tony Ferguson. Lee needed a towel to weigh in as he took off all of his clothing to ensure no extra weight was on him and stepped on the scale and tried to wipe any remaining sweat off his body. The “Motown Phenom” had a look of confidence as he stared down at the official operating the scale and even nodded his head and made a fist.

Justin Golightly - October 6, 2017

We’re just an hour removed from one of the most stressful weigh-ins in UFC history. If you want to go through the suspenseful play-by-play, you can relive the entire situation right here. After the sweat and the panic, Kevin Lee walked slowly to the scale with literally seconds left to weigh-in. Unfortunately, he was one single pound off and title fights do not allow for a one pound allowance. With doctor’s approval, he was given the go-ahead to safely lose one pound with in an hour. He then went back and performed the magic: The interim title fight is on. Spotted in lobby a few minutes ago: Kevin Lee, headphones on, walking with his team, holding his coach’s arm for support. #UFC216 weigh-ins

Justin Golightly - October 6, 2017

Back during the build-up for UFC 209, Tony Ferguson called himself the new John Wick. Well, we’re starting to believe him. First of all, he’s been secluded at a camp he built himself in California’s Big Bear. It’s secret, there is no huge team surrounding him and glossy posters of his face. What we get from his camp are personal Instagram videos of him doing ridiculous things: Elbowing speed bags, yoga, integrating Capoeira striking, you name it, he’s done it. You’re talking about a guy that looks at a laser maze as a active rest training device. So, it should be no surprise when it came to his UFC 216 open workout yesterday. Yet still, we’re surprised. .@TonyFergusonXT showed off his slick moves at the #UFC216 Open Workouts 👀. Full video: https://t.co/NJxWyRHjTs pic.twitter.com/yMwgmVjdrg

Russell Ess - October 5, 2017

Ahead of his UFC 216 interim lightweight title fight against Tony Ferguson that takes place this weekend in Las Vegas, Nevada, Kevin Lee has been getting a lot of attention with the words he has been choosing to say to the media. However, it will all come down to his performance and how he does in the Octagon against Ferguson, who is on an impressive nine-fight winning streak in the UFC lightweight division. Tony’s the hardest fight in this division,” Lee said to Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting on Wednesday. “Once I beat him, then there’s no denying me any further.”

Russell Ess - October 5, 2017

Tony Ferguson has the biggest fight of his career in just a couple of days as he is set to take on Kevin Lee for the UFC interim lightweight title. Ferguson and Lee headline UFC 216, which takes place in Las Vegas, Nevada at the T-Mobile Arena on Saturday night. The winner of the fight and the interim title should have the best chance of fighting current undisputed UFC lightweight champion, Conor McGregor. If negotiated right, any opponent who fights McGregor should be getting the biggest payday of their career as the draw of “The Notorious” seemingly can’t be matched by any other fighter on the roster at the moment.

Russell Ess - October 4, 2017

Tony Ferguson has the biggest fight of his life coming up this weekend as he is set to take on Kevin Lee in their UFC interim lightweight title fight at UFC 216. Ferguson and Lee are scheduled to headline the card with Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson set to defend his title and perhaps set the UFC record for most consecutive title defenses in history as he meets Ray Borg in the center of the Octagon in the co-main event.

Tom Taylor - October 4, 2017

Originally, UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson was expected to attempt his potentially history-making 11th-straight title defense in the main event of UFC 215. Yet when his opponent, Ray Borg, was forced out of the fight at the last-minute with an injury, this flyweight title fight was rescheduled for UFC 216. Given that the original UFC 216 headliner, a fight between Tony Ferguson and Kevin Lee, is for the interim lightweight title, many people expected Borg and Johnson’s legitimate title fight to usurp the top spot on the bill. Instead, however, Johnson and Borg were shoehorned into the co-main event, under the interim title fight on the bill.

Russell Ess - September 29, 2017

If you weren’t aware of yesterday’s heated argument between Tony Ferguson and Fabricio Werdum, the two got into it with each other at the UFC 216 media lunch in Los Angeles. Ferguson was interrupted by Werdum when he was speaking with the media and the two began arguing in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.

Justin Golightly - September 29, 2017

With the interim UFC lightweight title fight moving forward with Tony Ferguson and Kevin Lee, we at least further distanced ourselves from the heartbreak of Khabib Nurmagomedov. We’ve been robbed of seeing this Russian sambo destroyer in action for awhile now, but the UFC has been trying to make a fight with him and Ferguson happen since 2015. Only one of these instances could be attributed to Tony Ferguson. However, this recent news reopens all those old wounds. Sean Shelby recently revealed that it could have been Nurmagomedov fighting for the interim title at Madison Square Garden, but he turned it down. “Just to clear things up, a fight was offered to [Khabib] Nurmagomedov on November 4th [UFC 217] and at that point we were trying to put cards together towards the end of the year. I was informed that he could not make that date. He probably wouldn’t be able to fight until at least December. That left Tony [Ferguson] without a dance partner and it’s not just about one guy, it’s about two guys.”