Tony Ferguson was there, did it.
As for his MMA career, the former UFC interim lightweight champion faced the best and beat most of them, but he’s not even satisfied with the challenges left before him in the sport. After leaving the UFC and signing with the GFL, Ferguson was happy with his matchup with Diron Danis, but the fight never happened as the GFL effectively closed the store before holding a single show.
A few months later, Ferguson was surprisingly signed on August 30th in his debut against influencer Salt Papi in the UK’s co-main event. So how did Ferguson become boxing?
“I’ve always wanted to put it in a box,” Ferguson told MMA Fighting. “I was not allowed to keep the box in the box. I’m not growing. My dad plays sports, goes to college, gets an education and can figure out what you want to do. But I don’t have to pay for your education. You don’t need to get your scholarship. Box.
“When I saw Connor (McGregor) and Nate (Diaz) Go Box, I wanted to go to the box, but no one allowed me to go. Your brand is with the UFC. You’re an MMA fighter now. You want to call it, then.”
Ferguson is clearly best known for achieving in the UFC, but the now 41-year-old fighter says he has always been passionate about boxing.
In fact, Ferguson revealed that he constantly trains in boxing rings rather than in cages when preparing for a fight. The two sports are clearly very different, but Ferguson never lost his desire to focus solely on boxing.
“This is an opportunity for me to go out there and show off the f*ck I know,” Ferguson said. “I spent more time in boxing rings than octagons. I’ve always prepared for a fight in the octagons. I’ve always been in the boxing ring, never in the cage. I was in the cage on a fight night.
“Now I can put on my shoes. I don’t have to worry about getting them down. I don’t have to worry about choking me or trying to do all the other shit. The interest is there.”
Ferguson found himself stuck in a certain pattern towards the end of his run in the UFC, whether or not he classifies him as passing a move.
Mixing things with boxing is not only a fun reset, but also gives Ferguson the desire to not feel for a long time about his combat career.
“It feels like I was like how it was when I was preparing when I first started the UFC. The ultimate fighterFerguson said. “It’s fresh. It’s interesting to me. I’m excited. I don’t know what f*ck will happen, but I know there’s a bonus at the end of this f*cking road.
“They told me, you’ll get a knockout bonus and a night battle. That’s what they were offering if it’s enough for you guys to do this. Let me get paid.
With limited interactions with future opponents, Ferguson felt a very different energy from Saltpapi to the little time they spent on each other in regards to the promotions they had cut to sell the event.
Hearing some of the comments made when he wasn’t around, he’s ready for the opportunity to inspire Ferguson and close Salt Papi when it crashes on August 30th.
“I got this guy who says he’s going to knock me out on another camera,” Ferguson said. “But when I see him he’s a chicken shit. He doesn’t want to say the same shit. That’s a different kind of existence when it goes in.
“It’s exciting for me. It wasn’t that exciting. It was like f*ck. Now, this is a new opportunity to get out there and shine. I don’t want to keep going and repeat myself, but I don’t have side quests anymore. This is a new F*cking game.
For now, Ferguson has focused solely on his upcoming boxing matches, but he has previously stated that he is still interested in other opportunities available in combat sports, whether it be a return to MMA, a grappling match, or something else.
He will not turn down those offers after sending Saltpapi until Ferguson promises he is ready for business again.
“I’m here for one reason. That’s going to come on August 30th. “Veruca Salt is going to fill up his hands with ‘El Cucuy’. I hate talking to myself as a third party.
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