Chael Sonnen, Rafael dos Anjos concerned about David Goggins training Tony Ferguson

Videos of Tony Ferguson’s brutal training with ex-Navy SEAL David Goggins have raised concerns from UFC vets Chael Sonnen and Rafael dos Anjos.

Sonnen echoed dos Anjos’ concern that Goggins was pushing Ferguson too hard in preparation for the former interim lightweight champ’s fight with Paddy Pimblett at UFC 296.

“I see Tony’s workouts with David [Goggins],” dos Anjos wrote on X. “Those long workouts will not help Tony’s condition, it will slow him down. It could help him with some mental strength but Tony does not need that. He’s very strong mentally.”

Sonnen wrote he “thought same thing” in a response to dos Anjos’ message, adding “it’s helpful, Goggins had a positive effect, but Tony only has a certain amount of energy and needs to be wise.”

Ferguson faces Pimblett on a six-fight winning streak and threatens to tie the record-breaking skid of UFC Hall of Famer B.J. Penn, who lost seven straight before hanging up his gloves.

Known for his acrobatic and unusual training, Ferguson is no stranger to attention for his methods outside the cage. The ex-interim champ has shrugged off calls for retirement and spoke about rededicating himself to the sport after 15 years as a pro.

Goggins, meanwhile, reacted angrily to critics of his work with Ferguson, posting an Instagram video during a workout with the UFC vet.

“I saw a lot of your f****** comments, talking about rest and recovery, all this bulls***,” Goggins said as he and Ferguson did lunges on a field. “A lot of you don’t get it, man. He did rest. He slept for eight f****** hours. It’s an adaptation process that goes with the mental f****** hardening. The body has to f****** know you’re not f****** around with it.”

Goggins, an author and motivational speaker, is not known as a trainer of MMA fighters. He has appeared several times on the Joe Rogan Experience, talking about his experience as a SEAL and his training methods. He once held the a Guinness world record for completing 4,030 pull-ups in 17 hours.

The UFC Performance Institute has released two studies on MMA, emphasizing the need for tailored training schedules that gradually intensify an athlete’s workouts during fight camp and taper down as a fight progresses. The studies also emphasize the need for recovery and discourage overtraining.

In a response to Sonnen, dos Anjos backed a measured approach to training for aging vets such as Ferguson.

“As we fighter get older we need to do “less” work, spent more time pre and post workouts,” he wrote on X. “Focusing on specific training. We are fighting 15-25min, we don’t need 1h-2h workouts. Short and specific practices. Def [Goggins] has a positive effect but for what I’ve seen too much work.”

Ferguson has attributed his slide to a lack of belief in himself. In an interview with The MMA Hour this past month, he said he told himself to “do what you have to do to train the way you f****** need to train. Like, quit f****** horsing around.”

“It’s not easy, doing what we do inside that cage,” Ferguson said. “It takes a lot of f****** balls. But we don’t have the only occupation where it takes balls, so I’m blessed to be able to do what I do, and like I said, it’s never been a thought in my head that [I should give in] to retirement.”