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Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff Writer
Former UFC interim champion Tony Ferguson has set a new record for consecutive defeats in the Octagon.
Ferguson (25-10) suffered a submission loss to Michael Chiesa in the first round of their welterweight bout at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Abu Dhabi. It marked Ferguson’s eighth loss in a row, surpassing the previous record of seven by BJ Penn.
Immediately after the bout, Ferguson, 40, removed his gloves, which is a symbolic gesture of retirement. He stopped short of officially retiring, however, and went on to tell UFC cameras in the back that, “It ain’t time, I got s— to work on.”
Ferguson was considered one of the best fighters on the planet when this skid first began. In 2020, he was supposed to face Khabib Nurmagomedov in what would have been one of the most anticipated lightweight title fights of all time, but the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted those plans. Ferguson ultimately fought Justin Gaethje for an interim title and lost via TKO in the fifth round.
“I don’t want to retire. I really don’t. But I love the UFC and I don’t want to go anywhere else,” he said. “So, I’m not going to put both gloves down. I’m going to put one and I’m going to keep the other one just in case.”
The California-based veteran has never looked the same since the Gaethje loss. He went on to lose lopsided fights to some of the top lightweights, including Charles Oliveira, Beneil Dariush and Michael Chandler. He suffered a submission loss to Nate Diaz in a legends fight in 2022, and then took two more losses to Bobby Green and Paddy Pimblett.
Penn’s record had stood intact for more than five years. Similar to Ferguson, Penn was considered the best lightweight in the world, but the drop-off came quickly. He lost his lightweight title to Frankie Edgar in 2012, and finished his career on a 1-9-1 skid, including losses in his final seven fights. He retired in 2019.