Tony Ferguson says he’s a “whole new man” heading into his bout against Michael Chiesa at UFC on ABC 7 after some big changes during training camp.
Ferguson will face veteran Chiesa in a tough welterweight bout on Saturday at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Ferguson has lost seven straight fights after a 12-fight winning streak, and if he loses to Chiesa, he will surpass BJ Penn’s record for the longest losing streak in UFC history.
However, “El Cucuy” made some big changes to his training methods, including joining Eddie Bravo’s 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu. Ferguson claims he was able to complete over 120 rounds of sparring thanks to the security of having a trusted training partner. The 40-year-old also says he underwent two surgeries in January this year. He has since made a full recovery from those surgeries.
“I don’t know anymore after I passed 120. [rounds]”…So, realistically, it’s about finding a comfortable place in the team that you can trust and find good people to put through the paces with, rather than just trying to beat their heads in the sand and get mad and beat the crap out of them,” Ferguson told ESPN. “I’m in a good place, I’ve cut less weight this time around, so I feel a lot better mentally and physically and Michael Chiesa’s going to have his hands full. I’m a whole new man. I had two surgeries in January and now it’s the middle of goddamn August, so I’ll be ready to go.”
Ferguson and Chiesa were scheduled to fight in 2016, but when Chiesa withdrew due to injury, he was replaced at short notice by Lando Vannata, who submitted Ferguson in the second round. “Maverick” claims his preparation for this bout has been very similar to the last time, but Ferguson warns he’s not the same fighter. Ferguson has shown off his recently improved wrestling skills and promises to aim for a quick finish.
“I’m not quite the same person anymore,” he said, “so I’ve prepared a few times for the Michael Chiesa fight… He’s a fighter like Ramsey Nijam, who I fought before – he uses his striking and goes for the takedown. But I’ve done a lot of wrestling in this camp and it’s been a while since I remembered I was a wrestler. So it will be an interesting fight, but I’m going to go for a quick finish.”
Chiesa, who is currently off a three-fight fight streak, has been primarily focused on his work as a UFC analyst in recent days. The 36-year-old is returning from a nearly two-year hiatus after a first-round submission loss to Kevin Holland at UFC 291 in July 2023.
