Tony Ferguson might have been less than 100 percent in his most recent fight.
The former UFC interim champion revealed on social media that he suffered an MCL tear two weeks before Thanksgiving, which would have been less than a month before his UFC 296 fight with Paddy Pimblett on Dec. 16. Pimblett went on to defeat Ferguson via unanimous decision, sending “El Cucuy” to his seventh straight loss.
See Ferguson’s Instagram post addressing the injury below.
“F***** my s*** up during a practice sesh, MCL tear,” Ferguson wrote in a caption. “I kept it to myself and put it behind me ‘til after the fight. I trained like no one knew, s*** hurt so good. Three weeks before fight time I told a few of my crew. Nothing changed.
“I recently took care of my leg (my MCL) and had surgery last Thursday one week after my elbow/arm surgery (both arthroscopys). Thought I would get them both done and double down. Got it over with so I can do what I do best. Beyond rage is an understatement. I feel no despair, just repair.”
Ferguson, 39, showed flashes of being a high-level competitor, but was unable to outlast Pimblett over three rounds. In the aftermath of his most recent loss, Ferguson has given no indication that he plans to retire, despite UFC CEO Dana White saying that he ‘would love’ to see Ferguson call it a career.