Tony Ferguson reveals he doesn’t remember anything from aftermath of brutal Michael Chandler KO ahead of UFC 279 return
TONY FERGUSON’s memory of the aftermath of his fight with Michael Chandler is very hazy – so much so that he still can’t recall the moments after the contest.
The former interim lightweight champion was knocked out in the second round of his UFC 274 showdown with new fan favourite Chandler in May.
Ferguson’s strong opening round mattered little when three-time Bellator 155lb king Chandler caught him with a perfectly-timed front kick to the jaw.
The Ultimate Fighter season 13 winner was consoled by his team and had a brief conversation with UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell before he was transported to the hospital – embraces he doesn’t recall.
He told SunSport: “I’m going to be real: after that fight, I don’t remember being on the stool.
“I don’t remember him getting his hand raised, I don’t remember talking to Coach Chuck [Liddell].
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“The only time I remember was I was walking out and I looked at my coach to my left and everything kind of went in.
“I knew I lost [and thought], ‘F**k1.’ Because it went quick, dude.”
The loss to Chandler was the first time Ferguson had ever been knocked out cold in his 14-year-long career.
And although he gives credit his Chandler for landing the strike, Ferguson believes his overzealousness with a single-leg takedown was his undoing.
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El Cucuy said: “It was my fault, I was looking for an outside sweep single. I was trying to bait him, trying to pull him in.
“And I wasn’t paying attention to his f***ing leg.”
Ferguson admits he never envisaged the boxing and wrestling-heavy Chandler throwing a front kick up the middle.
He continued: “Who would’ve thought he would’ve thrown one of my kicks?
“I was checking all of his kicks from the first round and then dotting them up.
“He literally went to the f***ing corner and was like, ‘F**k, the one part of my foot that doesn’t hurt is the bottom of my foot.
“‘Tony hit me with a couple of these’ and he mirrored me.
“I didn’t expect it, I didn’t look for it; I wasn’t paying attention.
“I had a bunch of s**t that didn’t make sense, but God works in mysterious ways. I don’t ever question it.”
Ferguson will look to snap a four-fight skid in his return to the welterweight division this weekend at UFC 279 in Las Vegas.
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The future UFC Hall of Famer will be welcomed back to the stacked 170lbs division by the No.14-ranked Li Jingliang.
Ferguson is relishing the match-up and predicting a violent return to the win column, saying: “Li Jingliang at UFC 279 is going to have to go home hurt.”