UFC Legend And Future Hall-Of-Famer Has Signed With New Promotion

UFC President Dana White said he wanted Tony Ferguson to retire.

Ferguson declined, and it appears the former UFC interim lightweight champion has signed with the new Global Fight League (GFL), per the organization’s Instagram account.

The man Ferguson defeated to become the interim champion in 2017, Kevin Lee, was one of the first major names to sign with the GFL. Lee has said the plan is for him to fight Ferguson, but a few details had to be worked out.

If Ferguson’s signing is real, those details may have been resolved.

Ferguson is on a UFC-record-breaking losing streak. He’s lost eight in a row, and worst of all, Ferguson has been stopped in five of those fights. Throughout his career, Ferguson has had 36 professional fights. He holds a 25-11 record.

When you consider the length of his losing streak, it’s easy to see how dominant he was before his current skid. From 2013-2019, Ferguson won a remarkable 12 consecutive fights.

During Ferguson’s UFC run, he registered wins over Yves Edwards, Danny Castillo, Gleison Tibau, Josh Thomson, Edson Barboza, Rafael dos Anjos, Kevin Lee, Anthony Pettis, and Donald Cerrone.

While Ferguson has fought a virtual who’s who in his weight class, there is one great fighter he never locked horns with in his career: Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Despite having scheduled a fight with Nurmagomedov five times, they never shared the Octagon.

The GFL has announced dozens of signings over the past few weeks. However, there have been some discrepancies, as some of the fighters are still under contract with other promotions.

That doesn’t appear to be the case with Ferguson. In addition to the UFC’s reluctance to book him in another fight and Lee mentioning the discussions with the GFL, Ferguson posted a cryptic video on his social media that seemingly hinted at a new beginning in his career.

Hopefully, Ferguson can find the closure he needs that will allow him to walk away from the sport safe and happy. The GFL’s inaugural draft will take place on Friday, January 24.

Ferguson is expected to be among the fighters eligible to have their name called. Be on the lookout for coverage of the draft, the teams, and other information that comes from Friday’s event.

What’s Next in the UFC?

The UFC heads to Saudi Arabia for a strong card. Here’s a look at all of the fights:

• Israel Adesanya vs. Nassourdine Imavov - Middleweight (185 lbs)
• Sharabutdin Magomedov vs. Michael Page - Middleweight (185 lbs)
• Sergei Pavlovich vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik - Heavyweight (265 lbs)
• Said Nurmagomedov vs. Vinicius Oliveira - Bantamweight (135 lbs)
• Ikram Aliskerov vs. André Muniz - Middleweight (185 lbs)
• Muhammad Naimov vs. Kaan Ofli - Featherweight (145 lbs)
• Shamil Gaziev vs. Thomas Petersen - Heavyweight (265 lbs)
• Terrance McKinney vs. Damir Hadžović - Lightweight (155 lbs)
• Fares Ziam vs. Mike Davis - Lightweight (155 lbs)
• Jasmine Jasudavicius vs. Mayra Bueno Silva - Flyweight (125 lbs)
• Bogdan Grad vs. L. Alexander - Featherweight (145 lbs)
• Hamdy Abdelwahab vs. Jamal Pogues - Heavyweight (265 lbs)
• Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady vs. Bolaji Oki - Lightweight (155 lbs)