Josh Thomson can relate to Tony Ferguson.
Thomson could by no means have suffered a shedding streak fairly just like the six-fight skid Ferguson finds himself on now, however issues nonetheless turned shortly for the previous Strikeforce champion. Thomson was thought of among the best lightweights on this planet and was inches away from vying for the UFC light-weight title earlier than a three-fight shedding streak in 2014-15 introduced a sudden finish to his run as a contender. The capstone on that three-fight skid was a brutal and bloody loss to Ferguson himself at UFC Battle Evening 71. After that, Thomson was by no means the identical. He in the end retired following a short stint in Bellator.
Contemplating that, it’s change into more and more tough for Thomson to observe his 39-year-old former foe hurl himself right into a brick wall over and over regardless of the plain indicators that age and a profession full of wars have taken an irreparable toll on Ferguson as a fighter.
“You need to take an excellent, onerous take a look at your self within the mirror and go, ‘That is coming to an finish actual fast.’ It’s going to come back prior to you assume,” Thomson stated on his Weighing In podcast. “And if not, if it doesn’t come to an finish actual fast, there’s a complete — and also you’ll discover it inside a pair years of you being retired. And I’m saying this on to Tony, is that you just’re going to note issues in your mind. You’re going to note issues in the way in which you speak to individuals. You’re going to note issues in the way in which you speak to your spouse, the way in which you speak to your children, the way in which you deal with your self. You must have a actuality test.
“I can’t even clarify it. You need to perceive learn how to reel it in, since you’re the one one in control of your mentality and your physique language, and the phrases that come out of your mouth that may have an effect on your relationships with everybody. And I’ve had these conversations with myself lots, as a result of there’s occasions when phrases come out of your mouth and also you don’t understand it. And so I get nervous for him, watching him take these Ls. I change into slightly emotional, it’s slightly f***ed up, however I take care of the man. I take care of all these fighters.”
Thomson, 44, famous that he was 36 years outdated when he brutally misplaced to Ferguson in 2015 — the identical age “El Cucuy” was when Ferguson suffered a vicious beat-down by the hands of Justin Gaethje to halt the previous interim UFC champ’s record-tying 12-fight win streak and kick-start his shedding skid in 2020. Ferguson has barely been aggressive in his bouts since, shedding lopsided outcomes to Charles Oliveira, Beneil Dariush, Michael Chandler, Nate Diaz, and Bobby Inexperienced, with the Chandler knockout particularly being exceptionally violent.
Nonetheless, Ferguson marches onward. “El Cucuy” posted a 10-point assertion on social media this previous week proclaiming, “I’m Not Retiring & F*** These Who Assume I Ought to.”
Thomson sees that submit as one thing greater than a former contender’s defiance.
“It’s 10 years off his life,” Thomson stated.
“Right here’s the factor although, the Justin Gaethje struggle and the Charles Oliveira struggle, these two fights alone — and I communicate from expertise as a result of it occurred to me with [Ferguson] — at that age, the harm he took in that Gaethje struggle, it adjustments you. It adjustments your physique. It adjustments the way in which you assume. … It’s not even a lot [doing it] a pair occasions, it’s generally only one time. And on the age that he was at, I consider he was 36 or 37 on the time of the Gaethje struggle, you’re not the identical. And after the Tony struggle, I used to be by no means the identical. I by no means fought the identical after that. I fought extra conservative, I used to be at all times a step behind.
“I used to be within the again after that [Ferguson loss] for about most likely 45 minutes to an hour, shivering within the bathe. The bathe was on scorching steam water and my physique was shivering. I couldn’t management myself. I used to be shivering a lot. I’d misplaced a lot blood, my physique was in shock, and it took me a very long time that night time to really get my physique to cease shivering. I’d say it took me most likely about two hours, three hours for my physique to not shiver. And I had sweats on, I had sweaters on. We had been in San Diego, by the way in which; the climate was good.
“It’s simply, you’re not the identical fighter,” Thomson continued.
For now, Ferguson’s subsequent step stays unclear. Regardless of the numerous cries for his retirement throughout the MMA world following his UFC 291 loss to Inexperienced, “El Cucuy” stays underneath UFC contract and decided to mount a run again to the UFC light-weight title.
In his prime, Ferguson strung collectively one of many best win streaks within the historical past of the UFC light-weight division. His 12 consecutive victories from 2013-19 are matched solely by Khabib Nurmagomedov, the rival and former champ with whom Ferguson was booked in opposition to 5 separate occasions however — due to harm and unhealthy luck — by no means really fought.
Thomson believes the misfortune Ferguson suffered throughout his championship window is inflicting Ferguson to now chase a second that’s not reasonable.
“I feel he’s chasing that struggle that by no means occurred in opposition to Khabib,” Thomson stated. “And I’m not saying he’s making an attempt to get the Khabib struggle. I’m saying that he’s chasing that one massive struggle. He by no means acquired it. He was at all times proper there. He by no means acquired the one massive struggle. He by no means acquired to struggle Conor [McGregor]. He by no means acquired to struggle Khabib. He by no means acquired the struggle, that one.
“In case you don’t need to retire, cool, do what you need. However you’ve acquired to take an excellent look within the mirror and simply understand that even at 40 years outdated, 41 years outdated … in the event you dwell one other 40 years, take into consideration, you might have a complete different life forward of you. What are you going to f****** do? You need to begin enthusiastic about that now. He’s acquired younger children — they’re not going to get to varsity till you’re 60. That goes via my thoughts each single time. Your children received’t even get to varsity till you’re 60 years outdated or 58. That cash that you just made in your profession, it’s gone. It ain’t there. What else are going to do?”