Tony Ferguson again urged to end UFC run by veteran star: 'He's 0-7, you need to be done, buddy'

12/26/2023 07:53 AM

Former interim lightweight champion, Tony Ferguson has once again been urged to call time on his storied mixed martial arts career, this time by UFC alum, Ben Askren – who pointed out an apparent lack of ability from Paddy Pimblett, whom the former lost to at UFC 296 last weekend.

Ferguson, a former interim lightweight champion and Ultimate Fighter victor under the banner of the Dana White-led promotion, returned to the Octagon at UFC 296 earlier this month, suffering a one-sided unanimous decision to the returning, Pimblett, in what came as the former's seventh consecutive defeat.

Without a victory since a second round doctor's stoppage TKO win over Donald Cerrone back in 2019, Ferguson, who once held a division-best 12-fight unbeaten winning streak, now joins former two-weight champion, B.J. Penn on a record-setting seven-fight losing skid off the back of last weekend's judging loss.

Tony Ferguson urged to retire by Ben Askren

And urged by both UFC CEO, White, and former two-division champion, Daniel Cormier to call time on his fighting career, Ferguson – who knocked back encouragement to stop fighting, has now been urged to do so by former ONE Championship and Bellator MMA gold holder, Askren.

"He (Tony Ferguson) says he wants to keep fighting," Ben Askren told Middleeasy. "SoIs it a monetary thing where he needs to keep fighting for money? I don't know, but Paddy (Pimblett) does not seem to be that good. He really doesn't and Tony, he just couldn't get off his back. I don't know what his plan was. He is a wrestler. He grew up wrestling."

"His trajectory is so insane," Askren continued. "He was like, 13-0, or whatever the hell he was afor a while, and now he's 0-7. It's like, yeah, you need to be done, buddy."

Do you think Tony Ferguson will finally call time on his UFC career?