Tony Ferguson reacts following lopsided loss to Beneil Dariush at UFC 262

By Adam D Martin - May 16, 2021

UFC lightweight contender Tony Ferguson issued a statement following his lopsided unanimous decision loss to Beneil Dariush at UFC 262.

Tony Ferguson, UFC 249

Ferguson was taken down at will and controlled on the ground by Dariush for nearly the entire 15 minutes of the fight. At age 37, “El Cucuy” appears to have lost a serious step in his MMA game. He has now lost three straight fights to Dariush, Charles Oliveira, and Justin Gaethje, and he lost every single round in all three of those fights. While it wasn’t that long ago that Ferguson was one of the best lightweights in the world, it appears as though he is on a decline and is no longer the championship-level fighter he once was.

Taking to his social media following his UFC 262 loss to Dariush, Ferguson issued the following reaction to what was his third straight lopsided loss inside the Octagon.

“UFC 262 -CSO- 🇺🇸🏆🇲🇽 # 👣 I Won’t Tap” – Ferguson wrote.

Following this loss to Dariush, it’s difficult to say what is next for ‘El Cucuy’. He is still ranked in the top-10 at 155lbs, but after losing his last three fights in such a one-sided fashion it’s basically impossible to call him a serious title contender anymore. After getting pieced up on the feet by Gaethje and then completely out-grappled by both Oliveira and Dariush, it feels like Ferguson is on a serious decline and is just not the same figher.

It will be interesting to see what the UFC does with Ferguson next. It’s possible he could fight someone else in the top-10 and try to bounce back, or it’s possible the UFC could match him up with someone outside of the top-15 and see if they can build a new prospect off of him. Otherwise, there is always the chance that the UFC could release Ferguson, too.

What do you think is next for Tony Ferguson after losing to Beneil Dariush at UFC 262?