Tony Ferguson plans 2025 return to the UFC: ‘I’m too old to retire’
Former interim lightweight titleholder, Tony Ferguson has confirmed plans to fight as soon as the opening quarters of 2025, claiming he was “too old to retire” as he targets another outing under the banner of the UFC.
Ferguson, a former interim lightweight champion, returned to action earlier this summer on the main card of UFC Fight Night Saudi Arabia, succumbing to a record-setting eighth professional loss in the form of a first round rear-naked choke submission defeat to Michael Chiesa at the welterweight limit.
And linked with a retirement from action in the immediate aftermath of his loss, Oxnard veteran, Ferguson lay his glove on the Octagon canvas, and claimed he would likely make the final decision on whether or not to continue fighting after consulting with his family.
Tony Ferguson claims he’s “too old to retire” as he plans UFC return
And despite encouragement from UFC boss, Dana White to finally call time on his career, former interim lightweight champion, Ferguson claimed he was simply “too old” to call time on his faltering time in mixed martial arts.
“I left half a f*cking glove in there, and I got it back, so that just tells me I got both pairs of gloves,” Tony Ferguson told Demetrious Johnson on his YouTube channel. “We’re going to probably take the rest of this season [off], figure some things out, and we’re coming back hard either January or February, so stay tuned. F*ck no, I’m not retiring. I’m too old to retire.”
“I’m 40 years old, I’m halfway to 80,” Tony Ferguson explained. “I’ve been competing since I was 5 years old in multiple sports. I’ve wrestled in college. I’ve done all the other stuff, and it’s not like I don’t know anything else. I’m still able to compete. When somebody can run a sprint faster than me, then maybe I’ll start to consider it.”
As far as potential camps to take him on in the future, Ferguson has expressed an interest in training with veteran Tristar head coach, Firas Zahabi — claiming he always targeted his star pupil, Georges St-Pierre.
“What I really need is to find that coaching and that discipline around other people,” Tony Ferguson explained. “Being uncomfortable in practice so that way you’re not miserable in the fight. I approached a couple different coaches. Firas Zahabi is one of the coaches I’ve always admired, because he was GSP’s coach, and GSP was always my target.
