After six years with out a victory throughout a number of fight sports activities, Tony Ferguson has shifted his narrative. The previous UFC interim light-weight champion made his skilled boxing debut in August 2025, defeating Salt Papi through third-round TKO at Misfits Boxing 22 in Manchester, England. Now getting ready for his subsequent bout towards Warren Spencer on December 20 in Dubai, Ferguson opened up about his journey via darkness and his path towards reclaiming misplaced floor.
Tony Ferguson
Ferguson’s UFC tenure ended in August 2024 following an eight-consecutive-fight losing streak, a file he surpassed from B.J. Penn’s earlier mark of seven straight defeats. Earlier than that skid prolonged via 2023 and into 2024, Ferguson had been away from the win column since November 2019. Talking about how he navigated these darkest moments, Ferguson didn’t shrink back from his previous. Talking in an interview with The Schmo, he said:
I discover myself superb in the dead of night place and being actual with it. I grew up within the countryside on 40 acres, between counties with no lights. Once I needed to lower weight, no person was holding my hand. I obtained my ass in form, put my snow boots on, and obtained working. In the event you can take that second and construct on it, then hell yeah, preserve going after it.
The transition to skilled boxing represented greater than a change in venue. For Ferguson at 41 years previous, it symbolized a whole reset. He left behind the multi-faceted strategies that outlined him in MMA, the elbows, the wrestling, the submission arsenal, and dedicated absolutely to a singular self-discipline. His first boxing match vindicated that call. Now, as he prepares to defend his interim Misfits Boxing middleweight title towards Spencer, Ferguson has articulated his comeback philosophy via agricultural metaphor.
If you take a plant that’s malnourished or not getting sufficient solar, it doesn’t flip inexperienced instantly. It takes time to get again to that inexperienced state and bear fruit. It takes perhaps a yr or two. That’s precisely what I did—I moved myself and the whole lot round to get my vitamins, relaxation, and daylight again so I might bear fruit. I’ve a belt I’m combating for; I’m gonna get this job performed.
Spencer represents Ferguson’s first main take a look at since getting into the game. Spencer, like Ferguson, holds a 1-0 skilled boxing file. Nevertheless, Spencer arrived at that file via a single exhibition bout the place he defeated Muganzi Hakim within the first spherical throughout April 2025. Previous to that, Spencer had ventured into MMA competitors on the similar August occasion the place Ferguson claimed his interim title, dropping to Dillon Danis through guillotine choke in 15 seconds. Spencer’s boxing basis stays unclear, making the December matchup genuinely unpredictable.
Ferguson’s mental state has shifted considerably since breaking his losing streak. He described his post-fight emotions following the Salt Papi knockout as remarkably transparent, not tears of relief but joy rooted in fundamental rediscovery.
I’m not done yet. This is just the beginning. I’m rested, healed, and can’t wait for the rest of this year and next year. Many blessings to come upon me and all the fans.
