Tony Ferguson - fight statistics, last fight, biography, best moments

American mixed martial artist and boxer Tony Ferguson became famous thanks to a series of successful fights in the lightweight category in the UFC. Tony Ferguson has 25 victories in 2020. He has also held the UFC interim lightweight title since 2017. The athlete became famous for his unique technical techniques, as well as artistry, which makes fights with him especially spectacular.

See all photos

Childhood and youth

The mother of the future celebrity Mary was of Mexican descent. She lived with her father Tony in the town of Oxnard. When the baby was born, the young parents separated. Soon a new man appeared in life - an American of Scottish origin named Armand Ferguson. He accepted the boy as his son and gave him a surname. Then the course of the biography of the future athlete changed.

When Tony was ready to go to school, the family left Oxnard and settled in McSegon County, Michigan. There, the athlete's stepfather bought a small bar and started running his own business. He was also concerned about the future of his adopted son. In order for the boy to overcome his natural shyness and stiffness, Armand sent him to the boxing section. Later, Tony himself became interested in rugby and basketball.

The path to popularity

While still in high school, Tony Ferguson began to show good results in sports. His success was imbued with Central Michigan University. The most prestigious university in the state provided a grant for the athlete to choose to study at this institution.

The fighter decided to try himself in a new field and chose a faculty where specialists in the oil and gas industry were educated. A little later he transferred to Grand Valley State University. After 3.5 years of student life, Tony received a severe psychological blow - his mother died. To drown out the pain, the guy devoted himself entirely to training and abandoned his textbooks.

At one point, the athlete decided to return home to be closer to his family. For some time Tony tried to study at Macsegon College. But the young man spent most of his life at work. He worked in sales and marketing during the day and worked shifts at night as a bartender at his stepfather's bar. There, a meeting took place with clients who invited the young wrestler to become an MMA coach.

The central defenders are the backbone of the team. You can spend any money on them

When Solskjaer shelled out almost 80 million for Maguire to concrete the center of defense, Ferguson accurately assessed: he did the same for all 26 years in Manchester.

The Scot built his team based on central defenders - he needed stability and stability. Bruce and Pallister, Stam, Vidic and Ferdinand - Sir Alex's United had reliable defenders who were required to have horse health (rotation in the center of defense is a bad idea) and the ability to launch an attack - Pallister and Ferdinand were responsible for this.

And the price tags for defenders were comparable to center forwards: for Bruce in ’87 they paid the same as for Brian McClair, a Scot who scored 35 goals for Celtic last season (1 million); Two years later, Pallister was worth the same as Hughes - almost 2.5 million. But even serious amounts did not bother Ferguson - he viewed them as a long-term investment.

“We shelled out a lot of money, but if we break this amount down over the duration of his stay, it turns out that we got the player for almost nothing,” the coach explained in the book.

Steve Bruce played 414 games in 9 seasons for United, Gary Pallister played 437 games in 9 seasons and Rio Ferdinand played 455 games in 12 seasons. Even the record £30 million over 12 years seems like a paltry sum.

First success

While studying at universities and college, Tony Ferguson did not leave the sport. He became interested in freestyle wrestling and tried to succeed in it. The guy managed to become the NCAA champion in freestyle wrestling in 2002 (weight up to 68.4 kg) and in 2006 (weight up to 74.3 kg). Victories and defeats only strengthened his character, made the guy more restrained internally and merciless in battle.

When an acquaintance suggested that Tony work in MMA, the athlete began training again. After the first serious workout, he vomited right in the locker room. But later the fighter came to his senses. In 2008, he received his fighter's license and was able to fight opponents in the welterweight division.

Much later, in 2011, Tony Ferguson signed a contract agreement with the UFC. He became Team Brock Lesnar's 3rd welterweight pick and 5th in the final standings. Then he had his first fight with Justin Edwards, and then with Ryan McGillivray. His career began in the reality show The Ultimate Fighter, of which the athlete became champion in 2011.

Biography

Height: 180 cm

Tony Ferguson photography

Weight: 70 kg
Advertising:
Spouse: Christina Servin

Tony Ferguson photography

Children: Anthony Arman

Education: Grand Valley State University, Central Michigan University

Tony Ferguson photography

Early life

Ferguson grew up in Muskegon, Michigan and is of Mexican descent. He got the surname Ferguson from his Scottish-American stepfather. As a southern California native living in a small Midwestern town, Ferguson's father introduced him to the sport at a young age to help him make friends and fit in with his new surroundings.

Tony Ferguson photography

After graduating from high school, Ferguson attended Central Michigan University and then transferred to Grand Valley State University. He also attended Muskegon College. He did not finish his studies, but managed to build a good career as a freestyle wrestler, won the NCAA (freestyle wrestling) twice: in 2002 in the weight category up to 68.4 kg; in 2006 in the weight category up to 74.3 kg.

Best of the day

Ferguson returned to California to be closer to his extended family, working in marketing and sales during the day and working shifts as a bartender at night. One night, while he was working at a bar, he got into a conversation with a wrestling friend who suggested he teach wrestling to young MMA fighters. A little later, Tony himself decided to start a career in mixed martial arts.

Tony Ferguson photography

Mixed martial arts career

The Ultimate Fighter

Ferguson signed with the UFC in 2011 to compete in the welterweight division of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Brock Lesnar vs. Team Dos Santos.

Ferguson was Team Lesnar's third choice and fifth overall. First, Ferguson was scheduled to fight Justin Edwards. At some point, Justin threw Ferguson to the floor, which the guard did not have time to close. When Justin decided to get up, the prone Tony kicked his opponent in the jaw with his heel, knocking him out. Later this strike became one of his tricks.

In the quarter-finals, Ferguson fought Ryan McGillivray, whom he quickly defeated with an uppercut. He had a unique plan for the fight - spam uppercuts, which quickly did their job.

Also at the party after the quarterfinals, he got into a fight with Chuck O'Neal, who jokingly threw water on him. After the fight, Tony shouted at him the phrase “Where is your child,” which seemed a little strange to those around him. Then Chuck was going through post-divorce proceedings, during which the child was rightfully supposed to live with his mother. Ferguson defeated O'Neal in the final episode by TKO in the third round, and moved on to the final to face Ramsay Neigh.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Ferguson made his official UFC debut in The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale against Ramsey Nijem to determine the winner of The Ultimate Fighter 13. Ferguson defeated Nijem by knockout in the first round, becoming the winner of the Ultimate Fighter season. Ferguson also earned a knockout of the night bonus for his win over Nidge. Ferguson moved back down to lightweight to face Aaron Riley on September 24, 2011 at UFC 135. Ferguson threw a big left uppercut early in the fight and then dominated the remaining two minutes of the round. Immediately after the first round ended, Riley told his corner that his jaw was broken. Ferguson's victory was declared by technical knockout. Ferguson faced MMA veteran Yves Edwards in the finals of The Ultimate Fighter 14. Ferguson won by unanimous decision. Ferguson was expected to face Dennis Hulman on May 5, 2012 at UFC on Fox: Diaz vs. Miller. However, Hallmann was injured and replaced by Thiago Tavares. Tavares was also injured and was replaced by Michael Johnson. Ferguson lost to Johnson via unanimous decision. Ferguson faced Mike Rio on October 19, 2013 at UFC 166. He won in the first round. The victory also earned him his first Performance of the Night Award. Ferguson faced Katsunori Kikuno on May 24, 2014 at UFC 173. He won the fight by knockout in the first round. Ferguson was expected to face Danny Castillo on August 2, 2014 at UFC 176. However, after UFC 176 was cancelled, Castillo/Ferguson was rescheduled for August 30, 2014 at UFC 177. Ferguson won the fight via split decision.

Ferguson faced Abel Trujillo on December 6, 2014 at UFC 181. After losing the first round, Ferguson rallied to win the fight in the second round via submission.

Ferguson was expected to fight Yancy Medeiros on February 28, 2015 at UFC 184. However, Medeiros pulled out due to injury and was replaced by Gleison Tibau. Ferguson won the fight in the first round, also earning a Performance of the Night bonus.

Ferguson faced Josh Thomson on July 15, 2020 at UFC Fight Night 71. He won the fight via unanimous decision and received a second Performance of the Night bonus.

Ferguson was expected to face Khabib Nurmagomedov on December 11, 2020, at the finale of The Ultimate Fighter 22. However, Nurmagomedov pulled out of the fight at the end of October, citing injury, and was replaced by Edson Barboza. After a fairly even first round, in which Ferguson was penalized one point for an illegal ground kick, Ferguson finished Barboza with a D'Arce choke in the second round. For this fight, he received his third consecutive bonus from the promotion for "Performance of the Night". A rematch with Michael Johnson was scheduled for March 5, 2020, at UFC 196. However, on January 27, it was announced that Johnson had pulled out of the fight due to injury. In turn, the fight with Nurmagomedov was rescheduled and was expected to take place on April 16, 2016 at UFC on Fox 19. Ferguson subsequently pulled out of the fight on April 5 due to a lung problem. He was replaced by organization prospect Darrell Horcher.

Ferguson was expected to face Michael Chiesa on July 13, 2016 at UFC Fight Night 91. However, Chiesa pulled out of the fight on June 27 citing injury and was replaced by promising newcomer Lando Vannata. Despite the fact that he was knocked down and was close to losing in the first round, Ferguson managed to defeat Vannata, who was tired during the second round, by choke. Both participants were awarded the Fight of the Night bonus. On August 5, 2020, Ferguson faced former champion Rafael dos Anjos in the final of The Ultimate Fighter Latin America 3. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Both participants were awarded the "Fight of the Night" bonus for their performance. A fight with Nurmagomedov was scheduled for a third time at UFC 209, this time for the interim UFC lightweight championship. However, shortly before the weigh-in ceremony, Nurmagomedov was hospitalized due to problems with weight cutting, and the fight was canceled again. For the fourth time, while trying to meet Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 223, Tony Ferguson injured his knee a week before the fight and was forced to withdraw from the tournament.

In 2020, he announced that he had fully recovered from knee surgery and would fight Anthony Pettis at UFC 229. In the second round, Ferguson, being knocked down, was able to recover and turn the tide of the fight. The fight was stopped due to Anthony's broken arm, Ferguson was awarded a victory by technical knockout. Later, this fight was recognized as the “Best Fight of the Year.”

Ferguson was expected to face Max Holloway for the interim lightweight title at UFC 236, but was unable to take the fight due to family reasons. Later he was replaced by American Dustin Poirier, who won that fight by unanimous decision.

In May 2020, there were rumors that Ferguson would face veteran Donald Cerrone at UFC 238 for top lightweight contender status, which was soon officially announced. In the first round, both fighters looked good, but in the second round, Ferguson interrupted Donald with his pressure. Before the start of the third round, doctors stopped the fight due to Cerrone's eye injury; Tony Ferguson won by technical knockout. This fight was later voted "Best Fight of the Night".

Best weeks

History of the nickname

As a fighter, Tony Ferguson entered the ring under the pseudonym "El Cucuy". This is the Mexican name for an invisible spirit that scares children at night. The analogue of this mythical creature is the Slavic Babai. Tony chose such a nickname for himself so that his rivals would fear him like children and give victory without violent resistance. Fight statistics claim that this tactic is justified: Ferguson had only 3 defeats throughout his entire career, and then at a young and inexperienced age.

Video about 5 early victories of El Cucuy:

Defeat is a signal for the need for change

Fans remember trophies and forget the 6-1 loss to City or lost finals, but Ferguson has a different approach: disappointing defeats are, above all, a lesson. If you lose, you made a mistake. The goal of any good manager is to improve as quickly as possible and change the game.

“When we lost the 1995 FA Cup final to Everton, I said: “That’s enough, it’s time to change.” And we changed. We introduced young players into the squad, the so-called “Class of 92” (Beckham, Scholes, Giggs, Butt, the Neville brothers - Sports.ru). We couldn’t pickle them any longer,” Sir Alex recalls in the book.

There have been an incredible number of such changes at United over a quarter of a century. In 1995, Ferguson sold the main Ince, Hughes and Kanchelskis and brought in young people. At the beginning of the 2000s, Arsenal became champions twice - this became the impetus for another restructuring named after Carrick, Rooney and Ronaldo.

In 2012, United lost the championship on goal difference and bought Robin Van Persie from Arsenal in the summer.

List of fights

Tony Ferguson vs. Justin Gaethje: Full Fight May 9, 2020

The long-awaited fight between famous wrestlers Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson was supposed to take place on April 18, 2020. But the event was later canceled due to the global coronavirus epidemic. And the fight itself fell through due to the fact that Khabib cannot attend the tournament until the quarantine is lifted.

There was even a proposal to move the fight to Russia. But the Russian Ministry of Sports banned international competitions due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Surprisingly, they have been trying to hold a fight between an American and a Russian since 2020. So far without success, since it failed 4 times for various reasons. Coronavirus has become the fifth in a row.

One of the best fighters, American Justin Gaethje, has been appointed as a new opponent. But it didn’t work out - the mixed martial arts event had already been postponed and even cancelled.

However, the UFC was determined. Was held as part of UFC 249 - May 9, 2020. The fight ended with Ferguson losing. Watch video of the full 2020 UFC title fight.

Gaethje received the interim lightweight title and will meet Nurmagomedov in September.

Khabib wrote that he was ready for a fight, and also supported Tony after a difficult defeat for his health.

Psychology is the perfect weapon

Ferguson's ability to pull out matches in the last minutes became Ferguson's - it wasn't called Fergie Time for nothing. Starting from the 75th minute, the players rushed to attack, not afraid of getting hit back - the opponents knew that this would happen, but they could not do anything. The coach also got involved: Sir Alex yelled at the referees, the opposing coach, and furiously tapped the dial with his finger - the outbursts of anger from the Scot were frightening.

Ferguson explained that he skillfully manipulated the opponent's mind: the more often United scored the winning goal in the last 15 minutes of the game, the more the opponents panicked. The fresh forward who came on as a substitute very often helped put the pressure on.

“They felt under siege, surrounded. We knew that we would never give up. We bit into every centimeter of the field, burst into the penalty area, thereby asking the question: “Can you handle this?” Very often they gave up,” Ferguson recalls.

Fergie Time worked not only for one game, but for the entire season. Every year, Ferguson built preparations so that the team would reach peak form after the New Year - and at the beginning of each championship he repeated: wait until the second half of the season.

The Scot's words at press conferences and flash interviews took root in the minds of United players and other teams. Aston Villa led the entire 1992/93 season; in January 1996, Kevin Keegan's Newcastle were 12 points ahead of Manchester United - in both cases, Ferguson's team became champions.

Nuances of preparing for fights

Tony Ferguson's height and weight fluctuate during the offseason. Body weight can approach 90 kg, and the boxer himself becomes 2 cm taller. He once reached this figure on the third day after winning a fight. Anthony easily loses weight gained due to the accumulation of water in the body. To successfully pass the weigh-in before a fight, the athlete sits for a long time in the jacuzzi and sauna, runs and trains a lot.

Tony's functional exercises before the fight are especially admired by fans. He performs them every day, working on the accuracy and power of strikes, speed, and endurance. His daily training program includes somersaults, low kicks on lamp posts, precision training with eyes closed, and kung fu classes. The fighter does not forget about other types of martial arts that he masters: Thai boxing and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

How Ferguson is training for UFC 249

In anticipation of the fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov, Tony Ferguson is intensively doing cardio exercises. Such exercises, according to the coach, will allow the fighter to show his strengths and exhaust his opponent in the ring with quick reactions and counterattacks both in the standing position and on the ground. According to estimates, the boxer is in the best shape of his entire sports career.

Tony's training for the fight with Khabib:

Winning the fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov is the main task for Tony. If luck smiles on him, he will emerge from the ring as an MMA champion in his weight category. The athlete has been working on this for the last few years.

Family also remains an important part of Ferguson’s life. The boxer tries to spend all his free time with his wife and son. He also finds time for his hobbies.

Press conference between Nurmagomedov and Ferguson before the fight on April 18, 2020:

Players need to be educated. If they cannot be trained, you should get rid of them

Ferguson was tough (especially early in his career), but he always gave second chances. At St. Mirena and Aberdeen, he suspended players for several weeks for alcoholism and missing training. If the player understood the mistake and came with repentance, the coach returned him. If he thought he was right, he flew out of the club.

At United, Ferguson could not stand players who considered themselves superior to the manager and the club. The main example is David Beckham. The conflict began in 2003 after a match with Arsenal in the FA Cup (0:2): in one of the episodes the player did not complete his work, which led to the second goal. Ferguson pointed this out immediately after the game, but David did not admit the mistake. The next day, the coach showed him a video of the match, but the footballer was unstoppable: he sat silently and did not react to the criticism.

“David considered himself superior to the coach, I had no doubt about that. A player cannot command in the locker room (although many have tried), because in the head coach’s office. “David signed his own death sentence with his behavior,” Ferguson explained the decision to sell the footballer to Real Madrid.

Two years later, history repeated itself with Roy Keane: the Irishman considered himself to be in charge and blasted his partners in an interview with the club channel - Fletcher, Ferdinand and Van der Sar got the worst of it. Ferguson gave him a chance to apologize, but at a team meeting, Keane repeated the same thoughts - after which the contract with the Irishman was terminated.

Personal life: wife and son

Boxer El Cucuy found love while still at university. He became close friends with his classmate Christina Servin. The girl supported the athlete during the most difficult period in his life - when his mother died. From that moment, the young people began dating.

After 6 years in 2011, Christina and Tony got married. In 2020, their son was born, named after the boxer’s stepfather and himself - Armand Anthony Ferguson. Lovers sometimes had periods when they did not live together. Then Christina wondered what was happening to her husband: was Tony sick, or was there something wrong with her?

Strange things happened during mental exacerbations of the athlete after fights. Then the boxer had hallucinations, obsessive thoughts, he destroyed the house and changed the locks in panic attacks. According to his wife, Tony never tried to cause physical harm to her or their child. Ferguson later received treatment from a specialist and improved his relationships with his wife, son and stepfather, and his personal life became much brighter.

Tony Ferguson now

In 2020, Tony defeated Kevin Lee, winning the fight in the last round with his famous technique - choking his opponent.
A year later, in October 2020, El Cucuy delighted his fans with a victory over current champion Anthony Pettis. It was a spectacular fight, as a result of which the Octagon was sprinkled with Pettis' blood. Tony Ferguson. Documentary Mixfighter, with whom El Cucuy still wants to fight - Dagestani Khabib Nurmagomedov. They could have fought in the Octagon back in 2020, but the fight was postponed several times for one reason or another. After Nurmagomedov's victory over Conor McGregor, Ferguson only became confident in his desire. After the fight with McGregor, Eagle’s father and coach Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov announced live that his son’s next opponent would be either Ferguson or Canadian Georges St-Pierre.

Boxer height and weight

Like any wrestler, El Cucuy's ears are broken and deformed. Outwardly, the athlete looks like a Mexican, but he also has European blood. During the fighting season, Ferguson turns into a dryish and wiry guy, and during the breaks he allows himself to get a little fatter. More often, a boxer wears a short beard and a crew cut.

Tony Ferguson - photo gallery

Social media

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/team__tonyferguson/

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/Elcucuy155lbs

Twitter:https://twitter.com/tonyfergusonxt

Tony Ferguson has 1.8 million followers on his personal Instagram profile. The fighter posts photos and videos from his family archive, meetings with friends and training. The boxer has a Twitter page, where he often leaves strange and encrypted messages, followed by 387 thousand subscribers. It is better to watch the best video about the life and fights of a fighter on YouTube.