Tony Ferguson vows to return following nasty KO loss to Michael Chandler at UFC 274: “I’ll be back”

Tony Ferguson has assured fans he will “be back” after suffering a brutal knockout loss to Michael Chandler at UFC 274.

‘El Cucuy’ was hoping to snap a three-fight losing skid when he stepped foot in the Octagon last night in Phoenix. In order to do so, Ferguson had to find a way past former Bellator champion Michael Chandler, who also entered the contest looking to rebound.

The opening round of the fight proved to be tightly contested five minutes. Tony Ferguson scored a knockdown in the early moments of the round, but Michael Chandler was able to score a takedown and ride out the round on top. Regardless of how you scored it, the opening frame resulted in the strong showing most fight fans were hoping for from Ferguson. However, things took a devastating turn for the former interim lightweight champion in round two. Just seventeen seconds into the round, ‘Iron’ connected with a front kick that sent ‘El Cucuy’ crashing to the canvas like a bag of bricks.

(via Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

It was a jaw-dropping knockout (see it here), and one that Dana White called the most vicious KO he’s ever seen. The brutal setback served as Tony’s fourth in a row, as he had previously suffered defeats to Justin Gaethje, Charles Oliveira and Beneil Dariush.

Despite the rough stretch, Tony Ferguson has assured fight fans that he has no intentions of hanging up the gloves. ‘The Boogeyman’ took to Instagram on Sunday evening where he shared the following post:

Tony Ferguson says he will “be back” following loss to Michael Chandler at UFC 274 pic.twitter.com/BdNS5uLitz

— Chris Taylor (@CTaylor_96) May 9, 2022

“I’ll be back! -CSO-“

Congratulations to @MikeChandlerMMA On his victory at UFC👣274. Had lots of fun in there, you fans are Fuckin’ wild I love this shit! Feels good to be back & hungry again. We were just getting started. Best Of Luck In Your Next Fight- Champ # ForTheLoveOfTheGame -CSO- 🇺🇸🏆🇲🇽 pic.twitter.com/cp6trgSPoX

— Tony Ferguson (@TonyFergusonXT) May 9, 2022

”Congratulations to @MikeChandlerMMA On his victory at UFC👣274. Had lots of fun in there, you fans are Fuckin’ wild I love this shit! Feels good to be back & hungry again. We were just getting started. Best Of Luck In Your Next Fight- Champ # ForTheLoveOfTheGame -CSO- 🇺🇸🏆🇲🇽”

Ferguson (25-7 MMA), 38, has faced the cream of the crop at lightweight over his past four fights, so maybe it is time for a small dip in competition.

Who would you like to see Tony Ferguson fight next?