By Dane McGuire

One of the UFC’s greatest lightweights of all time may be close to the end of his road. Tony Ferguson, 39, fell victim to a third-round arm-triangle choke at UFC 291, extending his winless streak to 0-6.

Ferguson is 25-9 overall. Of the 0-6 span, four have been finishes. However, it is worth noting that his UFC 291 loss to Bobby Greene came after a gruesome eye poke, which was addressed in the full statement below.

Ferguson wrote:

“Walked into the Delta Center to show the world I was back on track. The preparation for this fight was exceptional & it was one of the best camps I’ve had.

As the fight began, I was in the Xone, flowing & feeling confident. Bobby knew the direction of the fight & I believe he knew what he was doing when he poked my eye. He has a big History of moves like this. It significantly impaired my vision, making it difficult to see clearly out of my eye. Despite this eye poke I never considered stopping the fight. Although the doc wanted too. Throughout my career, I’ve always pushed through challenges & never given up This time was no different.

Unfortunately in sports, setbacks like this are part of the journey While I won’t use the eye poke as an excuse for the outcome, I know for a fact I have more to give.

Moving forward, I plan to work closely with Dana, Hunter & my entire team to assess what’s next.

I’d like to take a moment to say thank you to my Wife, my Family & my Fans. Your support means the world to me & it’s what drives me to keep pushing forward & striving for greatness. Thank you all for being by my side through the highs & lows of this sport that I love. Eye appointment tomorrow, some recovery & back after it. Love you all- Champ -CSO- #ufc291 Salt Lake City, Utah #AyMoe WooWooWooWoo Knyuck knyuck knyuck #ballsofsteel #FuckEm’IfTheyCantTakeAJoke”

Ferguson had won 12 straight fights and captured interim gold against Kevin Lee at 2017’s UFC 216 event. He would turn in two more Fight of the Night performances after that. A second interim title fight opposite new BMF titleholder Justin Gaethje kicked off the losing streak in May 2020.

As of this writing, UFC President Dana White has yet to comment on Ferguson loss or his future.