Tony Ferguson wants public apology from UFC 229 opponent Anthony Pettis

Over the weekend, it was confirmed that UFC 229 will be co-headlined by a key lightweight contender bout between former interim champion Tony Ferguson and former undisputed champion Anthony Pettis. Ferguson and Pettis are also likely to serve as understudies should Khabib Nurmagomedov or Conor McGregor fail to appear for the card’s main event.

From the sounds of it, this fight with Pettis is one that Tony Ferguson has wanted for some time. Speaking in a lengthy post on Instagram, Ferguson recounted a run-in with Pettis’ team that occurred all the way back at UFC 181. Apparently, he now plans to “bring the pain” to Pettis — although he’s willing to fight like a gentleman if Pettis issues a public apology ahead of time.

See what Tony Ferguson had to say below.

“Technical Fall” … @showtimepettis Your Team Tried To Dog My Squad In The Stands At UFC 181 & My Coach At The Time Told Me, Dont Worry About Him… “You Cant Big League A Big Leaguer”. I Told You I’d See You Soon Kid, Now Your Gonna Have To Answer To Me Toe-2-Toe Vato. I’ll Accept A Public Apology Before The Fight If You Want To Squash It & Fight Like Gentlemen. Either Way I’m Bringing The Pain, So I’ll See You Soon Hombre. Shhhhh Be Good Pretty Boy 🤫 Tienes Suerte No Es #ufc229 👊🕶 Shoutout To The Good Coaches & Trainers Out There Making A Difference, Happy Training- Champ 🕴🇺🇸🏆🇲🇽 Time -2- #snapintuit SnapJitsu™️ @ufc @danawhite – Tony Ferguson on Instagram

Tony Ferguson will enter this UFC 229 bout having not fought since October of 2017, when he defeated Kevin Lee to win the interim belt. He was then expected to battle Khabib Nurmagomedov for the undisputed title at UFC 223 in April, but was sidelined with an injury at the last minute. He was stripped of the interim title thereafter. He’s 23-3 overall.

Anthony Pettis, meanwhile, last fought at UFC 226 in July. On that night, he burst back into title contention with a second-round submission of BJJ ace Michael Chiesa. He’s 21-7 overall.

What do you think of Tony Ferguson’s comments on Anthony Pettis?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 8/27/2018.