Tony Ferguson talks UFC 256 bout vs. Charles Oliveira, explains why he doesn't take time off
Former UFC interim lightweight champion and "company man" Tony Ferguson goes 1-on-1 with Yahoo Sports' Kevin Iole to preview his fight Saturday at UFC 256 with Charles Oliveira and talk about why he doesn't take time off between fights.
Video Transcript
KEVIN IOLA: Hey gang. It is Kevin Iola. I appreciate you joining me UFC 256 at Apex here in Las Vegas on Saturday. Main event, a flyweight title fight between Deiveson Figuelredo and Brandon Merano. A lot of people looking forward to that co-main event, Charles Oliviera, and this man, one of the most iconic fighters in the UFC, Tony Fergerson. Tony, how's it going bud?
TONY FERGUSON: Good man, that's a heck of an intro buddy. More better than Michael Bruce Buffer there, right.
KEVIN IOLA: Almost I try you know. I don't look as good as Bruce Buffer, but I try.
TONY FERGUSON: That's awesome. How's everything going over there?
KEVIN IOLA: I am doing really well, looking forward to the show on Saturday. You know I was looking this up, I don't know if you know this, but Charles Oliviera has been in the UFC even a little longer than you are, both 10 years. And how have you guys not fought before this? Given how long have you been in the UFC together, it's amazing.
TONY FERGUSON: I don't know. I think they try to make a fight a couple of times, I mean to be real, I think he had a shoulder injury when they were trying to make the fight. But I mean, I don't a [BLEEP] who they're going to put in front of me. This weekend is Charles Oliviera. So if he's been there longer than me, whatever, that's cool. I'm here to stay though, this kids gone.
KEVIN IOLA: What do you, what do you think coming off, like what's your mindset coming off your loss to Gaethji? I know that was an important fight for you. You know, like are you, are you more determined than you've ever been? Like are you going to take your wrath out on him? Or what do you think we see out of you on Saturday.
TONY FERGUSON: There's no wrath kid. I want to be real. A day out [? there ?] everybody that think about fighting is always being negative, and all the b-[BLEEP]. This is a competition, I'm a wrestler. So whoever is going to put it in front of me I'm going to go out and do my best, and bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla that kind of stupid sh-[BLEEP].
KEVIN IOLA: Right.
TONY FERGUSON: I'm not like, please anybody anymore. The last couple of fights I've been just trying to like, I've been exhausting all my energy trying to make everybody else [BLEEP] happy that's it my, thought was my closed circle.
KEVIN IOLA: Right.
TONY FERGUSON: And there was no juice in the squeeze left for my like my wife and my kid. And [MUTED] like handle the business like even like fucking getting the company through turmoil right. From the UFC like making sure that we got sports back on.
KEVIN IOLA: Right.
TONY FERGUSON: And doing right, and then taking the heat, and then losing the fight. And all this other stuff. Look, man, I pushed all the way to the fifth [BLEEP] round, without even a cut man coming in, probably like two different rounds right.
KEVIN IOLA: Right.
TONY FERGUSON: Why?
KEVIN IOLA: Yeah.
TONY FERGUSON: I don't know but look man, check this out, like I got stopped right. So it's cool, with one uppercut we hit that bitch, we know exactly where we're at in our heart and we're training for our stuff. There's, there's hardly going to be another time like that, where we're going to have to go and step up and have to do this [BLEEP].
KEVIN IOLA: Right.
TONY FERGUSON: Or have the whole [BLEEP] world on my back, or I don't have to do that anymore. You don't understand how much pressure that puts on somebody.
KEVIN IOLA: Right.
TONY FERGUSON: Being real. I real--
KEVIN IOLA: All the changes yeah. All, all the changes everything went in and, I don't know that people understand sometimes you know, how difficult that is. Because you know hey, you have training camps for a reason. And you prepare for people for a reason. And then things, you know things switch around and it's difficult.
TONY FERGUSON: Well look, check this out Kevin. I'm going to tell you something. I found out that the fight was canceled right, with Khabib before even anybody got like released it. And what ended up happening was I saw my team, and then nobody wanted to disappoint me man. They all walked around, and they all had this face like death f-[BLEEP] walked in and all this [BLEEP].
And I'm sitting here and I'm like man, what is wrong with you guys? What the [BLEEP] is your problem? Like why are you guys not like smiling or telling me or this and that. And I've always ran into that. When people so reluctant to not want to tell me [BLEEP] or just something like that. And for the longest time I've been around those kinds of people that just would not express themselves, to the point where they could tell me exactly what was going [BLEEP] on.
And instead of me trying to always help them and help them and exhaust, like I said, exhaust no juice left for the squeeze. What ended up happening was check this out, we don't have a pandemic, we don't have to get like get ready for anything, we have to do [BLEEP] anything besides get ready for myself and take care of my family, my team.
I've completely revamped my whole entire crew. Pretty much most of my crew. And I did it for the best. I don't have to like, you know like people they're still holding on to their gyms, they still got their houses, they got their things.
KEVIN IOLA: Right.
TONY FERGUSON: That they needed to do that. Like people with interviews right. When I got noticed that people were going to lose their jobs, I [BLEEP] made a phone call, like yo, let's get this interview out of the way. So maybe hopefully you can get your [BLEEP] job. You can keep it. And I did that for a lot of people right. And I made that way. So ESPN for the one time of my life. This is why I'm so proud about that, making that weight cut.
I made so many more friends off of that dumb weight cut that everybody says.
KEVIN IOLA: Right.
TONY FERGUSON: I have been wrestling my whole entire life and I missed weight one time Kevin.
KEVIN IOLA: Yeah.
TONY FERGUSON: All the way till Friday, and then Saturday I'm used to going out and competing. And then Monday you get back to work, and you do it all over again. A lot of people forget that that's my background. And they forget that I come from a solid tough nosed [BLEEP] Midwest. I'm from Michigan, dude. I'm a Midwest savvy, but I'm West Coast. Right. It's different that way.
KEVIN IOLA: Well Sugar Ray Robinson's from Michigan, a lot of great fighters are from Michigan. So Michigan is one of the top states for fighters.
TONY FERGUSON: Absolutely, and then props to Dan Gable too for getting the presidental award, the highest [BLEEP] honor, that's amazing. As I'm wearing the Adam, Adam take down me hat.
KEVIN IOLA: How about that. You know the one thing Tony, that I'm surprised that you wanted to fight, I know they were talking about you may be fighting Michael Chandler now and everything. I just look at how physical that fight was, or at least how it appeared on the outside, me looking at you fighting. That you didn't take a little more time off. You know what was it that you felt the need so strongly to get back in there, instead of just giving your body that really extra rest and--
TONY FERGUSON: Time off that's for f-[BLEEP] people are like, Oh my gosh. When people don't do what you do, it's so frustrating, and it's [BLEEP] like that. Especially interviewers that don't understand that time off actually injures people. When you're hurt, people want to take a knee and they want to take a rest, instead of actually getting out there and walking on a sprain right. Or like icing it immediately, or getting after immediately.
People said, I need more time off. I'm like [BLEEP] you guys. I don't need more time off. [INAUDIBLE] get my ass back in the Academy and I did that. As soon as I got off the [BLEEP] plane I went to home. I dropped my wife and my kid off and I went to the [BLEEP] Academy immediately and I started working. That same way that I did when I was injured with my knee. And I went back to work and I've been in camp since June.
I'm going to be real. So June, July, August, October, November. I've been a camp for half a year.
KEVIN IOLA: Holy balls.
TONY FERGUSON: Take more [BLEEP] time off. I'm like you guys have never seen me this way, hurt me this way, or any of my approach, you guys don't even know me. I'm going to be real. That little facade that you guys had is all for [BLEEP] you guys. It's not Mark, this is me.
KEVIN IOLA: What, when did you think like you know, you went into camp in June, when did you feel like you were ready to fight, like so you got back in when were you ready to fight again? I was ready to fight over in Abu Dhabi. I was ready to fight whatever, but they kept [BLEEP] around. Like same thing with Chandler. And then they're like, this is what happened. I said, I wanted to fight right. And I said, was Chandler available? Oh no he's got an opponent already. What? Then he was like, I want to fight. So somebody was [BLEEP] lying.
So I'm going to be real. There's no more do, I've been with the company for like 10 years.
KEVIN IOLA: Right.
TONY FERGUSON: And homework I've been to mailroom all the way to the Apex You know be like kind of like Forrest Griffin you know, he's running the performances institute. He put in his time, he did his thing, and put his honor and kept [INAUDIBLE] hurt. I'm a company man doing the same way. What we do, though, is I'm not going to let anybody alter my future anymore. I can't. And especially like these fighters that are coming in from a different promotion and trying to skip up.
You guys have to realize it's a repeat process that the UFC keeps doing. It's like my case, it's almost like well something's going to missing weight, you're going to count on missing weight. Like I'm calling it out. Yeah, there is going to be a false shuffle, they're going to take the number one, number four, boom, right there. And I'm number three, and they're to take the other ones boom right there. So that would have made me five.
KEVIN IOLA: Right.
TONY FERGUSON: Like I speak up. Yeah, see you see it too, but you weren't going to say s-[BLEEP].
KEVIN IOLA: I say s-[BLEEP].
TONY FERGUSON: Hardly anybody says sh-[BLEEP]. So that's where I'm at. I got this relationship that I developed with every f-[BLEEP] person from interviewers, all the way, and I've helped every single one. And I told everybody, remember this, and I quote, "You guys will not like it when I get to that spot." I did say that, I'll find that interview. I said, you guys won't like me when I get to that spot.
KEVIN IOLA: Right.
TONY FERGUSON: Already available. And now here I am doing video phone calls, and I had an interview with a talk with Chris from the UFC and I said, hey I usually don't do video conferences. Usually I'm just one of those talk and that's it. But I asked him, what would the supporters like? Because I'm a people's champion. I won't be done myself. But that word champ comes with it.
KEVIN IOLA: Right.
TONY FERGUSON: Mindset is [BLEEP] only right. I can always say that, but it really is that's a CSO, that's a chief security officer. That's making sure [BLEEP] happens especially during turmoil when your company [BLEEP] needs you to do this [BLEEP].
KEVIN IOLA: Right.
TONY FERGUSON: So when [MUTED] company treats me good or bad or whatever, I'm still a company man, I'm going to show up and do my [BLEEP] job like a pro. And the rest of these other [BLEEP] guys, if they're not ready to do that. They need to go to Bellatore. Go back. Cause you're not ready to [BLEEP] come fight for us.
KEVIN IOLA: You have been one of the most exciting fighters in the UFC for a long ass time. Been at the top of the division for a very long time. Wonder what's next, for you--
TONY FERGUSON: Did you swear? Did you swear Kevin?
KEVIN IOLA: What's that?
TONY FERGUSON: Just Kevin, you just swore right now, you just said ass. I love it man.
KEVIN IOLA: There you go. I usually don't do that but.
TONY FERGUSON: I got your attention.
KEVIN IOLA: I think it's 13 to 1 now right? In favor of you.
TONY FERGUSON: I have no idea, man. I'm gonna be real. As far as like fights and records go, I stopped caring a long time ago.
KEVIN IOLA: No I meant in terms of swearing, one for me and like 13 or 14 for you.
TONY FERGUSON: I don't know [MUTED] jar is enough to make my kid go to college already, [BLEEP].
KEVIN IOLA: Well hey, let's wrap it up on this. I just want to know, McGreger is fighting Poreia in January. Is that a, is that a fight you would be interested in the winner, taking on the winner in that? Or what would you have your eye on next, assuming you beat Oliviera on Saturday?
TONY FERGUSON: I'm not assuming I'll beat Oliviera, when I beat Oliviera. When I, no respect. When I beat Oliviera I'm not really, I'm going to attack at Thanksgiving dinner. Yeah, my wife is going to make a Thanksgiving dinner for me, that from scratch, which is awesome. And I want to help and this Thanksgiving was fun. But I had in my head that I needed to leave the table hungry. I need [MUTED] to make sure that I was doing my part. That I can go in and eat and eat and eat feel sh-[BLEEP] I gotta make weight and blah blah. No dog.
How many times have I been to state for football, football right. Two times we've been to state for football. And during that time there was there was conditioning during [BLEEP] Thanksgiving break. And during Christmas break there was practice's for wrestling. During spring break there was practices for baseball. And I played three different sports. So I barely got any [BLEEP] time during the summer to myself. And I'll be competing for 30 plus years dude. I don't know anything different besides to [BLEEP] go out there and do the damn thing go with the varsity mentality approach. And push comes to shove, whoever the [BLEEP] is in front of me is going to have their [BLEEP] hands full. [INAUDIBLE] I love that [BLEEP]
KEVIN IOLA: I look forward to seeing it. That is Tony Ferguson the former lightweight champion, we will see him on Saturday UFC 256 against Charles Oliveira. Tony my man, always a pleasure.
TONY FERGUSON: Bye man, thank you Kevin, your awesome.
KEVIN IOLA: See you, see you on Saturday. Be well.
TONY FERGUSON: Later, buddy.