For years, there was one man who was the boogey man of the UFC‘s lightweight division. That man was “El Cucuy” Tony Ferguson (25-6). Ferguson has been a staple of the lightweight division for years and he’s constantly been near the very top of the lightweight division.
We were first introduced to Ferguson on The Ultimate Fighter. El Cucuy won the show and earned himself a contract with the UFC after he knocked out Ramsey Nijem. Ferguson then went on to go 11-1 in his next 12 fights inside the octagon.
That stretch included a nine-fight win streak which included a win over former UFC lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos. That streak led him to a fight with Kevin Lee for the interim lightweight title. Ferguson won that fight and became champion. However, Ferguson didn’t keep the interim title long as it was taken away following knee injuries.
Ferguson was considered by many to be the best lightweight in the world. However, that’s not the narrative anymore. After capturing UFC gold and going on an incredible 12-fight win streak, Ferguson has lost three in a row. He’s not just lost three in a row, but he’s been dominated in those three fights.
Who will the UFC pair him with next?
Since being on this recent skid, many have wondered what would be next for El Cucuy. Recently, Dana White came out and said that the UFC has a fight for Ferguson but he didn’t elaborate on who the opponent would be. Well, thanks to Twitter, we might have some insight.
Rafael Dos Anjos took to Twitter and tweeted at Ferguson asking him about a UFC Fight Night on February 19th. RDA said that he asked the promotion for a fight with Ferguson, and Ferguson seemed to brush him off. It appears that Ferguson would like the UFC to set him up against Michael Chandler.
Chandler was tweeting about a potential fight with Conor McGregor when Ferguson chimed in. Ferguson said that the UFC had relayed a message saying that Chandler would be ready for a fight in the spring. Chandler responded saying he would beat Ferguson bell-to-bell in a hypothetical matchup.
In looking at the UFC’s lightweight division, those two matchups do make sense for Ferguson. Another opponent to watch out for would be Dan Hooker. My guess is that we will find out sooner rather than later who will be fighting El Cucuy next.