Tony Ferguson could meet a familiar face in his next boxing match.
For the first time since 2019, the former UFC interim lightweight champion is back in the win column. Ferguson left the Octagon last year on an eight-fight losing skid and rebounded in his boxing debut this weekend.
Ferguson TKO’ed influencer Salt Papi in the third round of the Misfits Boxing 22 co-main event in Manchester, England, and immediately fell to his knees after his first win in 2,275 days.
Who will the victorious ‘El Cucuy’ fight next? Some fans have joked about current UFC Lightweight Champion Ilia Topuria while others look to ex-UFC stars who haven’t fought in years.
One of Ferguson’s former foes would come out of retirement for a rematch.
Photo by Ben Roberts Photo/Getty ImagesJosh Thomson open to boxing Tony Ferguson under Misfits banner
Ferguson was Josh Thomson’s final fight in the UFC back in 2015. Ferguson defeated the former Strikeforce Lightweight Champion by decision and earned a performance of the night bonus.
Thomson has recently talked about the idea of rematching rival Nate Diaz inside the boxing ring, but the retired UFC star wouldn’t mind getting some revenge on Ferguson.
“I mean, yeah. Possibly,” Thomson said of a potential boxing match against Ferguson on The Weighing In Podcast.
“It’s boxing. I think people should understand that boxing, it’s a lot easier to train. It’s so different. It’s just a lot easier to train for. A lot of jumping rope, a lot of bag work, a lot of running, it’s a lot of road work…”
“Maybe that’s a conversation we have,” Thomson said of rematching Ferguson a decade after they first fought.
“I have a relationship with Misfits Boxing. There’s been some conversations anyways with them about other fights, but, ultimately, it really just comes down to the cream rises to the top and who do I wanna fight [and] if we can get the pay right…”
Josh Thomson isn’t a bad next opponent for Tony Ferguson
The UFC world cheered when Ferguson TKO’d influencer-boxer Salt Papi on Saturday.
Salt Papi had several boxing matches under his belt prior to Ferguson, but was he no match for a fighter as experienced as the legendary UFC lightweight.
Ferguson is 41 years old and it will be interesting to see what the matchmakers come up with for ‘El Cucuy’ at this stage of his career.
If Ferguson were to box Thomson, he’d be the younger fighter by 5-6 years.
Thomson turns 47 next month and hasn’t fought since 2017. However, ‘The Punk’ has a wealth of experience with 35 pro MMA fights.
Thomson is the only fighter to KO UFC legend Nate Diaz, doing so with a head kick and punches in 2013.