UFC lightweight veteran Tony Ferguson is a person who never gives up easily. Throughout his storied career, he has dealt with numerous injuries but has defied odds to come back stronger than before.
Be it his knee injury prior to his clash against Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 223, or the latest, an arm injury suffered during his match against Charles Oliveira at UFC 256, he has somehow quickly come out of it.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
During his match against Oliveira, it was widely speculated that it will be more of a technical wrestling bout rather than a striking match. It lived up to its hype. Oliveira displayed excellent grappling skills to humble Ferguson in a unanimous decision.
Ferguson lost the match, but one of the major points discussed during and after the match was his arm.
Almost to the end of the first round, Oliveira took Ferguson down and locked an armbar that made Tony’s arm bent backward unusually.
As Oliveira put continuous pressure on Ferguson’s arm during the final seconds of the first round, ‘El Cucuy’ was seen writhing in pain, but he did not tap. The arm was on its way to break in two until the bell saved it.
OMG! HOW DIDN'T TONY TAP!? #UFC256 pic.twitter.com/o6lonK9Q1R
— UFC (@ufc) December 13, 2020
It was evident from the subsequent rounds that the armbar had taken a toll on him. While Oliveira dominated the match, Ferguson was lauded for showing grit and determination for continuing the fight. In the end, it was wildly speculated that he may have broken his arm and would probably be gone for some time.
Injury update by Tony Ferguson
After a few days, Ferguson provided an update on his arm and even asked for an apology from his fans. He added he made few mistakes, which he shouldn’t have. He also explained how the pandemic affected his training and also his thoughts while fighting with Oliveira.
After a few weeks, Ferguson shared a tweet describing his arm’s condition. He was seen dancing around with his arm in pristine condition.
“It’s Tiramisu🍮Tuesday MF’s!!!” That Feeling Ya Get When The Doc Says The Arm Is As Good As Iron Ahhhhhhhh Ah Ahhhhh Ahhhh Ah # Its💪🦸♂️👍Alright 🎶 That Type Of Guy Moment Brought To You By🥇Champ Shit Only™️ ⚔️🕶 -CSO- 🇺🇸🏆🇲🇽 # ThatIsAll 🍃🕴🍃 pic.twitter.com/0uE9RWjJZf
— Tony Ferguson (@TonyFergusonXT) January 6, 2021
Previously, he had broken his knee, unfortunately. He was told by doctors to not fight for a year. But the warrior inside him never gave up, and after six months, he was inside the ring fighting his next match.
What’s next for him?
‘El Cucuy’ is now on a two-match slide. First, he lost to Justin Gaethje via TKO in round 5 at UFC 249. This was his first loss in 13 matches. And as mentioned above, he lost against Oliveira next.
He is scheduled to face Beneil Dariush at UFC 262 and will hope to return to winning ways. Ferguson will hope to have one final glory run towards the championship before its time.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Ferguson is an inspiration for many in how to never back down from what you love to do. And probably, he would want to prove that one more time with a dominant victory in his next match.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
What did you make of his arm injury?
READ MORE: Does Tony Ferguson Have the Skills to Defeat Khabib Nurmagomedov?