Daniel Cormier Believes Dana White Doesn’t Release Tony Ferguson to Prevent Him from Fighting Outside the UFC

Tony Ferguson, once a top contender in the UFC’s lightweight division, has hit a poor patch not typical of fighters of his caliber. He has endured a freaky streak of eight consecutive losses, leaving many bewildered why UFC President Dana White hasn’t released him. All the more since Ferguson had retired for a brief period too, after his last fight.

Former UFC champion Daniel Cormier believes it is because White doesn’t want him to fight anywhere else. 

Cormier believes White wants Ferguson to retire in the UFC. 

“Dana White wants Tony Ferguson to retire. I think we’re all in agreement there. Tony needs to be done.”

Former UFC welterweight Ben Askren, who joined Cormier in a chat about the state of affairs in the MMA world, chimed in and said that while Ferguson was done within the UFC, he was still a big name. 

“I think Dana does not want to cut him because Dana know that he actually still has a big name and could demand money otherwise. He will go fight somewhere else for sure,” said Askren.

With Ferguson not prepared to quit, the only viable way forward is to work out appropriate matchmaking. Both Askren and DC believe that Ferguson could be protected to a certain degree with lighter matchups.  

But neither the UFC, nor Cormier or Askren or any of the experts, seem to be bothered to ask Ferguson what he wants, not just say what they perceive he needs. Clearly, Tony wants to keep fighting.

‘El Cucuy’ targeting early 2025 return 

Ferguson has made it clear he’s not going anywhere. After dropping his eighth straight fight at UFC on ABC 7 in August, Ferguson left a glove in the Octagon, hinting at retirement.

But he quickly walked back in, saying he was still ready to fight. Despite White strongly suggesting that he’d like to see Ferguson hang up the gloves, ‘El Cucuy’ said he plans to return hard, possibly in January or February.

“I left half a f*cking glove in there and got it back, so I’ve got both pairs of gloves,” he told Demetrious Johnson on YouTube. “I’m 40, but I’m still able to compete.”

Ferguson has now started training with David Goggins and is also looking to work with other top coaches, including Firas Zahabi, who trained UFC legend Georges St-Pierre. For him, finding the right guidance is key to getting back to winning ways.