November 2, 2024

Morning Report: Tony Ferguson says he’s wanted to fight Anthony Pettis since UFC 181 incident

Tony Ferguson
 Esther Lin, MMA Fighting

Just last week it was announced that former UFC interim lightweight champion Tony Fergusonwould be returning to face former lightweight champion Anthony Pettis at UFC 229. It’s a fight that most people weren’t expecting, but apparently one that Ferguson has had on his mind for several years now, since the two both competed at UFC 181 in 2014 and Ferguson felt disrespected by Pettis’ team. In an Instagram he posted over the weekend, Ferguson told Pettis that now he would have to answer for that disrespect, saying he would be “bringing the pain” to “Showtime.”

“Technical Fall” … @showtimepettis Your Team Tried To Dog My Squad In The Stands At UFC 181 & My Coach At The Time Told Me, Dont Worry About Him… “You Cant Big League A Big Leaguer”. I Told You I’d See You Soon Kid, Now Your Gonna Have To Answer To Me Toe-2-Toe Vato. I’ll Accept A Public Apology Before The Fight If You Want To Squash It & Fight Like Gentlemen. Either Way I’m Bringing The Pain, So I’ll See You Soon Hombre. Shhhhh Be Good Pretty Boy Tienes Suerte No Es #ufc229 Shoutout To The Good Coaches & Trainers Out There Making A Difference, Happy Training- Champ Time -2- #snapintuit SnapJitsu™️ @ufc @danawhite.”

Ferguson is currently riding an impressive 10-fight winning streak but has not competed since last October, having torn his LCL just days before a scheduled fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 223. As a result, he was stripped of his interim title (pictured in the Instagram post) when Nurmagomedov defeated last-minute replacement Al Iaquinta to win the undisputed 155-pound title. Now Ferguson will serve as the co-main event to Nurmagomedov’s first title defense against Conor McGregor, with a win most likely setting him up to fight the winner for the belt.

UFC 229 takes place on Oct. 6 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

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