UFC 238’s Tony Ferguson: I’m an active lightweight champ, ‘I didn’t lose my belt’

Bloodyelbow.com

Ahead of his fight this weekend against Donald Cerrone at UFC 238, Tony Ferguson has said he is still a UFC lightweight champion as he never lost his belt.

Ferguson (24-3) is currently on an eleven-fight winning streak in the UFC, last losing a fight in 2012. The 35-year-old won the interim UFC lightweight title against Kevin Lee in October 2017 but was later stripped of it after suffering an injury in the lead-up to his scheduled UFC 223 fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Most recently, Dustin Poirier defeated Max Holloway by decision at UFC 236 to become the new interim 155-pound champion. Something that Ferguson took issue with when talking to MMA Fighting.

“I was ready for Max [Holloway],” Ferguson said. “I’ll be real with you, I was really ready for him. I was coached to say no, obviously there were a lot of things going on but I was ready. I’ve been training since January and I was ready and everything.”

“I’m an active lightweight champ. I’m still the f—king champ. I didn’t lose my belt,” Ferguson said. “I still have it. I just walked into my room and it’s standing here right in f—king front of me. It’s nice and shiny.”

Ferguson’s frustration didn’t stop there. “El Cucuy” took aim at Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor, and even addressed Poirier’s comments about Ferguson being the real champion.

“We got Tiramisu (Khabib Nurmagomedov) and McNuggets (Conor McGregor) both lost their sauce. They don’t know what the f—k is going on,” Ferguson said. “Even Dustin Poirier said Tony is the real champ and then look what happens. You dangle a little bit of change in front of somebody and what do they do? They change right up like a chameleon. Like that “Rock Superstar” — B-Real had it best. People try to change up no matter what the f—k is going on or who comes up.”

UFC 238 takes place this Saturday night, June 8th, at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. The card will be headlined by a vacant bantamweight title fight between current UFC flyweight champion Henry Cejudo and Marlon Moraes.