Issue 147

November 2016

From small halls to The Ultimate Fighter and the UFC, Tony "El Cucuy" Ferguson looks back at five fights that propelled him to the top of the sport.

1. From the bottom – Unknown opponent, Small-hall smoker (02/08)

The start of Tony Ferguson’s career was a far cry from the professional comforts he enjoys now in the UFC. “I was way overweight – really heavy – and I wasn’t sure how it was going to go down,” he says. “I was just doing it for fun. The environment was crazy. It was smoky as hell. It was the grungiest s**t you could ever imagine. It was straight out of that movie Here Comes the Boom. It was actually the perfect environment for a first fight. The guy was way heavier than me. Those big smoker fights are like that. That’s what set it off. A soon as that fight ended – in 22 seconds – I went back to Michigan and told my parents that I had an opportunity to turn pro. They said, ‘Do it.’” 

2. Tasmanian devil –  Joe Schilling, Total Fighting Alliance 12 (09/13/08)

“The third fight of my career would be next on the list. You know the kick Edson Barbosa threw over my head that I saw coming? I did that same thing to Joe Schilling. He threw one kick, I saw it coming and I did a Tasmanian Devil spin, took him down off of it and submitted him with a choke right after that. Today he is doing great. I talk to him a little bit, too. It’s cool to fight somebody of that caliber and to see them keep going and excel.”

3. Silver lining – Karen Darabedyan, All-Star Boxing: Caged in the Cannon (02/06/09)

“It was a fight I lost. It sucked. He was overweight. I was so fresh and new to this thing. This was another way to pay rent. I was trying to help out my grandma at the time. The same night I lost, I won so much. He twisted my leg so much that it popped and damn near broke. I kept fighting. I have no quit in me. I lost by decision. Gene LeBell came up to me afterward and said, ‘Son, that was the coolest s**t I’ve ever seen. I haven’t seen an ankle pick in MMA for so long.’ I ankle-picked Karen straight to his ass. But best of all it was also the same night I met my wife. She made the pain go away. We’ve been together ever since.” 

4. First floor – Ramsey Nijem, The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale (06/04/11)

“That was the fight that secured my place in the UFC. I prepared really hard. I went to Death Clutch and Marty (Morgan, coach), Brock Lesnar, my big sponsor – they provided everything I needed to get the job done. That involved kicking my ass every single day. They brought in people in from all over Minnesota. I spent time with Greg Nelson at his academy. It was terrible, of course, but I do it every camp. Being secluded like that is almost like the military. 

“I won the contract and it was enough to be able to have the potential to get into that CEO position where you start in the mail room. You barely get that position. You don’t get an office. You get to the first floor. Now you are actually employed. That was big for me. That’s how it felt to me. Now I knew I could start providing for my family.”

5. Earning respect – Edson Barboza, The Ultimate Fighter 22 Finale (12/11/15)

“It went exactly how I thought it would go. For people to respect my stand-up game, I had to go against a tough competitor like that. I watched plenty of film on Barboza. I knew he was going to quit. I punched that dude in the face enough that I knew he was going to shoot. When he shoots he goes into my wrestling world and nobody wants to be there. That opens up front chokes, arm triangles and deadliness of what I have on my list of strengths. I needed a secure hold to choke him out. It had to be a solid, 100% choke. Either an arm triangle, D’Arce or anaconda was going to work – boom. Recognize the opportunity, advance, there we go, $100K.”