Morning Report: Eddie Bravo on Tony Ferguson’s return: ‘Tony is coming for war’

MMAfighting.com

The last year or so has been pretty rough on Tony Ferguson. After winning an interim lightweight title over Kevin Lee at UFC 216, he was later stripped of the belt when he was injured ahead of a proposed fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov. After recovering from the knee injury, Ferguson rebounded with a win over Anthony Pettis at UFC 229 and looked poised to finally get his title shot. Instead, personal problems intervened.

Ferguson’s wife filed for a temporary restraining order against him after multiple police calls had to be made to their house. According to Cristina Ferguson, her husband had begun showing signs of mental health issues that were getting progressively worse. As a result, “El Cucuy” began receiving help and his wife dropped the case.

Ferguson was never arrested nor charged with a crime but the personal turmoil did temporarily sideline his fighting career. On Saturday at UFC 238, Ferguson will try to get things back on track, making his return to the octagon against Donald Cerrone instead of Khabib Nurmagomedov. And though it may not be the fight he was hoping to get, according to his longtime Jiu-Jitsu coach Eddie Bravo, Ferguson is still coming in at the peak of his powers.

“He’s sharper, stronger, in the best shape of his life. It’s the same Tony,” Bravo told Joe Roganrecently. “You’d think, ‘is it the same Tony after he had some family stuff go on? Is that going to change him?’ His opponents hope it changes him, but he’s the same Tony. When it comes to fighting, we don’t get into personal stuff. We just stick to fighting and the strategy. He’s sharper than ever. You can’t guarantee any wins, but I will guarantee he’s going to go in 100% Tony.”

Yesterday it was officially announced that Khabib Nurmagomedov would be unifying the lightweight title interim champion Dustin Poirier in September at UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi. The winner Ferguson-Cerrone is the presumptive favorite to challenge the undisputed champion next. And though Ferguson is the betting favorite this Saturday, Bravo recognizes that they have their work cut out for them to re-earn that title shot.

“That’s like Russian Roulette right there. They’re gonna be throwing bombs at each other. . .” Bravo said. “Cowboy is no joke,. He doesn’t fight like Khabib, he doesn’t fight like Conor [McGregor]. He fights like Tony. So it’s like similar, it’s like Tony vs. Tony. They’re both good on the ground. They’re very good on the ground. We respect Cowboy’s ground game a lot. We did what we could to make sure nothing bad happens on the ground.”

Cerrone is himself on quite the tear at lightweight. Cerrone has looked like a man on a mission since dropping back down to lightweight, knocking out surging contender Alexander Hernandezand then beating up sixth-ranked Al Iaquinta to claim a unanimous decision. And while Ferguson has had to deal with numerous distractions, Cerrone appears as focused as he’s ever been. But Bravo insists none of that will matter come Saturday.

“Tony is coming for war like he always does. It’s gonna be the same Tony in there throwing down.”

UFC 238 takes place in the United Center in Chicago, Ill. on Saturday, June 8.