Tony Ferguson might take after Michael Jordan in his post-UFC career.
After 36 professional fights and 24 UFC appearances, the former UFC interim champion and legendary lightweight traded the Octagon for the boxing ring.
That’s right, Ferguson is set to make his pro boxing debut later this month against influencer Salt Papi in the co-main event of Misfits Boxing 22 on Aug. 30.
Ferguson will look to snap the 8-fight losing skid he had in the UFC, which is the worst losing skid in company history.
The 41-year-old veteran was released from the UFC following his record-breaking loss to Michael Chiesa at UFC Abu Dhabi in August, leaving ‘El Cucuy’ free to do whatever he pleases in free agency—and that apparently includes chasing a lifelong dream.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLCTony Ferguson plans on becoming a pro baseball player
Long before he was on a 12-fight win streak in the UFC lightweight division, Ferguson was a multi-sport athlete in football, baseball, and wrestling.
Ferguson says he was never allowed to box when he was growing up in Michigan.
Speaking on his boxing debut, it seems like the ‘Sweet Science’ isn’t the only sport on Ferguson’s bucket list, as Ferguson wants to give pro baseball a shot.
“This is a new sport,” Ferguson said in a Misfits’ faceoff interview.
“It’s a new avenue for me to be able to go [compete].
“If I want to go play pro baseball later on, whatever,” Ferguson revealed.
Fun fact: Tony Ferguson could have been a professional baseball player, but he decided to become an MMA fighter instead pic.twitter.com/mp0IAcZuEl
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“I was talking to my agent, this is another avenue for me as an athlete to be able to demonstrate my talent and like I said, I’m not gonna b——- it no more.
“I can’t. I can’t sandbag anymore, man,” Ferguson added.
Basketball legend Michael Jordan also played pro baseball in his career, but not for long. Jordan played one season of minor league baseball in 1994 before returning to the NBA the following year.
Why Tony Ferguson carried around a baseball in UFC
There will be another Tony Ferguson in the UFC.
Ferguson is truly one-of-a-kind and one of the more memorable faces in the UFC for his entertaining fights as well as his unique personality.
In 2020, at a press conference for his UFC 249 fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov, which was cancelled because of COVID-19, Ferguson had on blue gloves and a baseball in his hand while onstage.
As it turns out, there was a reason for that.
“With Khabib, I would always carry a ball or something with me,” Ferguson said on the Jaxxon Podcast.
“I was like, ‘in case he runs’,” said Ferguson, adding their UFC 249 faceoff was the last time he ever saw Nurmagomedov.
Ferguson and Nurmagomedov were scheduled to fight each other five times, but the lightweights both pulled out of the matchup multiple times.