Tony Ferguson’s wife files for temporary restraining order after multiple police calls to home

MMAfighting.com

Tony Ferguson’s wife has filed for a restraining order against him.

Cristina Ferguson filed for the temporary order against the UFC fighter, which alleges domestic violence, on Wednesday in Orange County (Calif.) Superior Court, per online records.

The court has scheduled a domestic violence prevention services investigation for March 22 and a hearing for April 5. MMAjunkie was the first to report the news. Tony Ferguson has not been charged with a crime.

Exact details of the allegations against Tony Ferguson, 35, have not been released. A domestic violence restraining order is a court order “that helps protect people from abuse or threats of abuse from someone they have a close relationship with,” according to the California courts website.

On Wednesday, officers from the Santa Ana (Calif.) Police Department were sent to “remove” Tony Ferguson’s 2-year-old son from him following Cristina’s restraining order filing, per an incident report obtained by MMA Fighting. Ferguson was advised to go to court to file for custody of his son and he did, per the report.

In a welfare check, police reported that the child “appeared well taken care of” and Tony Ferguson “let the child go with his mother on his own free will.”

Cristina Ferguson released the following statement Friday, via her attorney Jeffrey L. Heath:

Tony Ferguson is a good husband and good father to our son. The current legal proceedings are a part of a process to ensure that Tony will receive the help necessary to continue being the best possible, as well as to pursue his passion and career as a UFC champion fighter. All positive well wishes are sincerely appreciated and I hope our privacy will be respected.

Per incident reports from the Santa Ana police, there have been multiple domestic disturbances reported in regards to the Fergusons’ home over the last 14 months. No arrests were made, nor were there any charges issued for any of these reported incidents, which are as follows:

On March 8, police responded to a call after Tony allegedly changed the locks to his home in Santa Ana while his wife was visiting her parents. Also at the home was the couple’s 2-year-old son. Per the report, Cristina “was not concerned with the child’s safety in being with the father.” A welfare check was conducted, but there was no crime or custody order. Cristina noted to police that Tony had a Taser at the home.
A welfare check was also conducted on Feb. 19, when Tony allegedly tore apart his home and made “several threats” that prompted his wife and son to leave the residence. According to an unidentified female, Tony had not slept for three days and he “believed someone placed a [computer] chip in his leg.” The report also mentions that the unidentified man who called the police had spoken to Tony and that the fighter “believed someone was inside his walls.” The unidentified female told police that Tony’s trainer also could not get him to leave the house to see a doctor.
On Feb. 16, Cristina called the police to report that she was concerned about her husband’s well-being due to his refusal to go to the hospital for an evaluation. It’s unclear what Cristina’s exact concern was, but the report includes the sentence, “He’s been

lately and just getting worse.” Cristina told police that Tony “kept throwing ‘holy water’ at her.” Cristina made this call from a park and was later advised to “stay with family for a few days.” In the report, Tony is described as “not a danger to self or others” and “not gravely disabled.” He was advised by officers to go see a doctor, which he agreed to at the time. Two other instances occurred in January 2018. On the 23rd of that month, Tony’s father is reported to have been kicked out of the house. He told police that Tony was “out of control.” On the 24th, Ferguson reported overnight that his wife and son were missing.

Tony Ferguson (24-3) is a major name in the UFC’s 155-pound division. He won the UFC interim lightweight title at UFC 216 and last competed in October when he defeated Anthony Pettis via second-round TKO at UFC 229. Ferguson has won 11 consecutive fights dating back to Oct. 19, 2013.

Ferguson was surprisingly passed up for the an interim lightweight title fight at UFC 236 next month. That bout will pit featherweight champion Max Holloway against Dustin Poirier. UFC president Dana White wrote to a fan in his Instagram comments this week that Ferguson is “dealing with a lot of personal issues right now and can’t fight.”

“Hopefully things turn around for him and he can get back in there,” White wrote.

Tony Ferguson’s management firm Paradigm told MMAjunkie in a statement: “This is a private family matter that is in the process of being resolved.”