Tony Ferguson has no plans to retire, despite suffering his eighth straight loss to Michael Chiesa at UFC on ABC 7.
Ferguson, who was defeated by first-round submission against Chiesa at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, said he felt nauseous due to nervousness before the fight.
“Well, I thought I’d go further,” he told Fullsend MMA. “The time difference is huge. Before I even left the fight venue, I was throwing up and feeling a bit sick. I was super nervous going into this fight. I scored it 12 points. [wins] And 8 [losses] It’s a little crazy right now. I’m not super happy with my performance. Obviously I could have rested a little more today and warmed up a little more. But what the hell am I going to say? Well done, Mike.”
Ferguson hung up his gloves in the Octagon after his loss to Chiesa and called it a “see you later” rather than a retirement. “El Cucuy” was once on the longest winning streak in UFC lightweight history, but this loss marks the longest losing streak in UFC history. However, Ferguson wants to keep fighting with the UFC, despite not having a solid reason to stay.
“I’m honored to represent UFC in the best way possible,” he said. “I’m not ready yet. [to retire]I’m not done yet, but I don’t know what to say. Of course I should have gone out and done it. But I’m an athlete, so there’s nothing to do but go out and play like shit…UFC is a great guy. I’m the CSO, the chief security officer, so none of this would have happened without me. So I love this company. I love everything this company stands for, and I’m here for the company just as much as they’re here for me.”
