Tony Ferguson has been there, done that.<\/p>\n
When it comes to his MMA career, the former UFC interim lightweight champion has faced the best and defeated most of them but even he\u2019s not above getting complacent when it comes to the challenges left ahead of him in the sport. After leaving the UFC and signing with GFL, Ferguson was happy with a matchup against Dillon Danis but the fight never happened because GFL effectively closed up shop before holding a single show.<\/p>\n
A few months later, Ferguson surprisingly signed with Misfits Boxing with his debut set on Aug. 30 when he faces off with influencer Salt Papi in a co-main event from England. So how exactly did Ferguson end up in boxing?<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve always wanted to box,\u201d Ferguson told MMA Fighting. \u201cI wasn\u2019t allowed to box, I wasn\u2019t allowed to fight. Growing up, my dad is like you\u2019re going to be playing sports, you\u2019re going to go to college, you\u2019re going to get your education and can figure out what you want to do. But I\u2019m not going to pay for your education. You\u2019re going to have to be good enough to get your scholarships. We chose wrestling instead of baseball or football and we ended up doing that. We won Nationals and we did all these things. Ended up in MMA [but] always wanted to box.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I saw Conor [McGregor] and Nate [Diaz] go box, I wanted to go box but nobody was allowing me to go box. It was like OK, your brand is with the UFC. You\u2019re an MMA fighter right now. So I was lucky enough to be able to co-brand my brand with the UFC brand, build my name up to a certain degree and to be able to use that for my future. Now thus, I\u2019m a legend, I\u2019m a f*cking myth or whatever you want to call it, the man. Now is that time.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Ferguson is obviously best known for what he accomplished in the UFC, the now 41-year-old fighter says he\u2019s always had a passion for boxing.<\/p>\n
In fact, Ferguson revealed that he always trained in a boxing ring rather than a cage when preparing for his fights. While the two sports are obviously very different, Ferguson never lost that desire to only focus on boxing, which is what his upcoming fight is allowing him to do.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is an opportunity for me to go out there, demonstrate what the f*ck I know,\u201d Ferguson said. \u201cBecause I have put more time in a boxing ring than I have in an octagon. Any time, I\u2019ve ever prepared for a fight in the octagon, I was always in a boxing ring. Never in a cage. The only time I found myself in a cage was during fight night. That\u2019s how weird that shit was, right?<\/p>\n
\u201cNow I get to put on shoes. I don\u2019t have to worry about getting taken down. I don\u2019t have to worry about f*cking people trying to choke me out or do all this other shit. The interest is there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Whether or not he\u2019d classify it as going through the motions, Ferguson definitely found himself being stuck in a certain pattern towards the end of his run in the UFC.<\/p>\n
Mixing things up with boxing has not only been a fun reset but it\u2019s given Ferguson a desire that he hasn\u2019t felt in a long while when it comes to his fighting career.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like how I was when I was preparing back when I first started in the UFC, like in The Ultimate Fighter,\u201d Ferguson said. \u201cIt\u2019s fresh. It\u2019s interesting to me. I\u2019m excited. I don\u2019t know anybody. I don\u2019t know what the f*ck\u2019s going to happen but I know there\u2019s a bonus at the end of this f*cking road.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey told me, you\u2019re going to get a knockout bonus and the Fight of the Night. That\u2019s what they were offering if you guys are good enough to do this. I\u2019m like let\u2019s f*cking get paid. Because this is interesting to me. I\u2019m f*cking hungry.\u201d<\/p>\n
In limited interactions with his upcoming opponent, Ferguson has felt a much different energy from Salt Papi when it comes to the promos he\u2019s cut to sell the event versus the little bit of time they\u2019ve spent around each other.<\/p>\n
Hearing some of the comments made when he wasn\u2019t around irritates Ferguson and he\u2019s ready for the opportunity to shut down Salt Papi when they finally clash on Aug. 30.<\/p>\n
\u201cI got this dude that\u2019s says he\u2019s going to knock me out on a different camera,\u201d Ferguson said. \u201cBut when I\u2019m meeting him, he\u2019s a chicken shit. He doesn\u2019t want to say the same shit. It\u2019s a different kind of entity when it comes into it. Yeah, you\u2019re f*cking right, it lit a new fire underneath me that I absolutely f*cking needed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s exciting to me. Before hand, it wasn\u2019t as exciting. It was like what the f*ck. Now this is a new opportunity for me to be able to go out there and shine. I get more excited and I don\u2019t want to keep repeating myself but I don\u2019t have side quests anymore. This is a brand new f*cking game. This is a new game.\u201d<\/p>\n
For now, Ferguson is only focused on his upcoming boxing match but he\u2019s previously stated that he\u2019s still interested in other opportunities available in combat sports whether that\u2019s a return to MMA, grappling matches or something else.<\/p>\n
He won\u2019t field those offers until after he dispatches Salt Papi and then Ferguson promises he\u2019s ready open up for business again.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m here for one reason. It\u2019s to f*ck shit up come Aug. 30. Misfits 22,\u201d Ferguson said. \u201cVeruca Salt\u2019s going to have his hands f*cking full with \u2018El Cucuy.\u2019 Hate to talk to myself in the third person. It sounds f*cked up but yeah for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n