After suffering his eighth consecutive defeat in the UFC, former interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson broke his fans’ hearts last week by pondering his retirement from MMA. Following his latest loss to Michael Chiesa at UFC Abu Dhabi in a welterweight bout Ferguson talked about retirement from the sport but left a glimmer of hope by only leaving one glove in the Octagon and taking another for himself, suggesting a potential future change of heart.

However, fans are currently unwilling to let go of Ferguson, as they recently discovered a potential opponent for him in MMA legend Charles Bennett, aka “Krazy Horse”. A Gamebard Fighting Championship fighter and a BKFC veteran, Bennett recently snapped a 21-fight losing streak across MMA, BKFC, and boxing with a submission victory over Justin Howard via rear-naked choke at Island Fights 84 this past Friday. Bennett’s last win came in 2016 against Minoru Kimura.

Meanwhile, MMA legend Tony Ferguson, since his debut, became a star renowned for his remarkable 12-fight winning streak from 2012 to 2019, culminating in a victory over Kevin Lee for the interim title belt. This set the stage for a potential showdown with then-champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, a fight that unfortunately never materialized due to various reasons. A downturn began in 2020, with Ferguson experiencing consecutive losses. This losing streak, combined with the UFC’s stance, led by Dana White, made the fight against Michael Chiesa his final one, regardless of the outcome.

The MMA-oriented page ‘Parry Punch,’ which covered Charles Bennett’s snapped losing streak, caught the attention of MMA fans. This led to a wave of calls on social media for UFC CEO Dana White to sign Bennett and arrange a fight with Tony Ferguson. Fans believe the two fighters share a similar trajectory, making a matchup between them intriguing.

Fans call for Tony Ferguson vs. Charles Bennett in the UFC

44-year-old Charles Bennett boats an extensive MMA career, competing in various organizations such as Pride FC, King of the Cage, and Rizin FC. Despite his experience, Bennett has never fought under the UFC banner. Impressed by his determination, MMA fans are calling for the UFC to offer him a contract. One fan commented, “Get this man a UFC contract 👏,” while another expressed a desire to see a match-up with Tony Ferguson, writing, “Make him vs Tony.”

The support for a Tony Ferguson vs. Charles Bennett fight didn’t stop there. Numerous fans demanded this match-up in the comment section, calling it their dream fight. One fan even suggested that Bennett is the type of opponent Tony is looking for, commenting, “What Tony is looking for.” This seems plausible considering Tony Ferguson is now in his 40s and has recently fought younger opponents like Paddy Pimblett.

Bennet, at 44 could be a more suitable match for ‘El Cucuy.’ The UFC star lost 8 consecutive bouts over four years. Bennett lost 21 straight fights over a seven-year-long stint. So, another fan chimed in with the suggestion, “Tony vs Crazy Horse, book it!”

Tony Ferguson left a glove inside the octagon after his last fight, hinting at a potential return if the right opportunity arises. After hearing about Charles Bennett’s return, fans couldn’t contain their excitement and urged the UFC to book the fight, with one fan commenting,” Seen enough give him Tony.”

What are your thoughts on Tony Ferguson’s retirement? Would you like to see him back in the octagon against Charles Bennett in the future? Share your thoughts in the comments below.