Is Tony Ferguson Retiring After Michael Chiesa Fight at UFC Abu Dhabi? Dana White Confirms Status

If you took a time machine and told a UFC fan back in the 2010’s that Tony Ferguson would be on a seven-fight losing streak, there is a good chance you would be laughed out of the room. Ferguson’s nickname, ‘El Cucuy’, Spanish for ‘The Boogeyman’ was given to him by his coach Eddie Bravo, and for  a very good reason.

Between 2013 and 2019, when Ferguson was on a twelve-fight win streak, and looked virtually invincible due to his legendary pain tolerance and bar brawler fighting style, he was indeed the boogeyman of the lightweight division. But things, of course, are very different now, as he has failed to win a fight in the UFC since 202, and turned 40 years old. And Dana White, while announcing his next fight, floated that ‘El Cucuy’ might finally retire on August 3.

Dana White reveals next fight may be Tony Ferguson’s last

In a video on his official Instagram account, Dana White announced the stacked fight card for the UFC’s upcoming Fight Night card in Abu Dhabi on June 3. Featuring the return of Nick Diaz (to the UFC after three years and to the welterweight division after eleven years), and headlined by a welterweight title eliminator between #2 ranked Cory Sandhagen and #10 ranked undefeated 170-pounder Umar Nurmagomedov, the card will also feature another fan favorite fighter: Tony Ferguson.

In the announcement video, the UFC CEO revealed that ‘El Cucuy’ will move up from 155 to 170-pounds to take on Michael Chiesa in a welterweight bout on the main card of the Fight Night card. However, what caught fans’ attention was the UFC CEO announcing that this fight “could be his final fight.”

“Opening the main card is the fight between the legend Tony Ferguson, moving up to 170 pounds in what could be his final fight to take on Michael Chiesa,” White said.

While White may have floated Ferguson’s possible retirement, it is unclear if he has said this based upon something ‘El Cucuy’ or his team told White, or if the UFC boss is just wishful thinking on his part, like the fans. Although why Dana White said this might be unclear, one thing is quite clear to everybody in the MMA world: Ferguson is at the end of his rope.

Why do even ‘El Cucuy’s fans want him to retire

It is almost a unanimously held opinion among UFC and Ferguson fans that he should retire. With the 40-year-old’s recent glut in form, advancing age, as well as recent arrests because of erratic behavior (which many ascribe to CTE he suffers from due to the punishment he has taken especially in the recent past), the writing is on the wall.

And almost everybody, even hardcore fans, have read it and would like to see him retire. The one person who has been standing in the way of his retirement is Ferguson himself, whose warrior mentality and unshakeable self-belief seem to be doing him more harm than good right now.

But the decision ultimately rests with Ferguson himself (because even if the UFC refuses to book him, he could easily fight on any other MMA promotion and earn a respectable paycheck), and he may choose to keep on fighting if, perchance, he wins his next fight. He may choose to keep fighting even if he loses, to be fair, but a win, because of the kind of fighter and man ‘El Cucuy’ is, would likely further spur him on. This is why many have concluded with a heavy heart that a win at Abu Dhabi may not be a good thing for Ferguson.