Getty Tony Ferguson looks on against Justin Gaethje after their Interim lightweight title fight during UFC 249 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena on May 09, 2020 in Jacksonville, Florida.
With three losses in a row and at 37 years of age, former interim UFC lightweight champion Tony Ferguson is “over the hill,’ according to his past opponent.
“El Cucuy” hasn’t earned a victory since 2019 when he defeated Donald Cerrone at UFC 238 to extend his win streak to 12. In his next match, Ferguson lost to Justin Gaethje by fifth-round TKO at UFC 249, snapping his eight-year-long run. El Cucuy would then go on to lose his next two fights by dominant unanimous decisions, being defeated by Charles Oliveira at UFC 256 and Beneil Dariush at UFC 262.
For years, Ferguson was viewed as one of the toughest and scariest fighters in the UFC’s stacked lightweight division. El Cucuy has a professional record of 25-6 with 12 wins coming way by KO/TKO, eight by submission and five by decision.
And one of the names Ferguson has on his mantel is Kevin Lee. Ferguson and “The Motown Phenom” competed for the interim lightweight strap at UFC 216 in October 2017 and El Cucuy defeated Lee by third-round submission.
But don’t expect to see the two fighters run it back.
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Lee Lacks Interest in Ferguson Rematch, Said It ‘Hurt His Heat’ to See Ferguson Get Dominated By Oliveira
GettyKevin Lee celebrates his victory over Gregor Gillespie during UFC 244 in November 2019.
In a recent interview with James Lynch, The Motown Phenom said he had wanted a rematch with Ferguson up until he watched Oliveira “dismantle” Ferguson for three rounds last year. But now, Lee isn’t as interested in Ferguson, who he says El Cucuy is “too far gone.” Lee said he doesn’t like to compete against fighters who won’t “put a good fight.”
“That was a fight that I was interested in up until I saw him just get dismantled by Charles Oliveira, especially on the ground,” Lee said via MMA Junkie. “That one would kind of hurt my heart a little bit because I would beat him so bad that it would of take away from our first fight. That’s one – I would do it. Of course I would do it. Easy money is easy money at this point, but I think he’s too far gone, and I think he’s too far over the hill. I don’t like beating up on people that don’t put up a good fight.”
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Lee Is Preparing for His Return to the Welterweight Division
The Motown Phenom will fight for the first time since March 2020 when he takes on Daniel Rodriguez at UFC on ESPN 30 on August 28, 2021. Following two knee surgeries and a rib injury, Lee will also move back up to welterweight, leaving lightweight behind for good, the fighter told Ariel Helwani recently on “The MMA Hour.”
According to Lee, the cut down to 155 pounds was too taxing on his body, even telling Helwani that he felt “close to death” when he was cutting weight for the Ferguson fight a few years back.
The Motown Phenom isn’t a stranger to 170 pounds, fighting in the division once: a submission loss to Rafael dos Anjos in 2019. Lee has a professional record of 18-6, with three wins coming by way of KO/TKO, eight by submission and seven by decision.
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UFC’s Tony Ferguson Dismissed: ‘Too Far Over the Hill’