If you’re not a fan of Tony Ferguson, you’re not a fan of fighting.
Ferguson’s a special kind of fighter.
A Miles Davis-type who’s free-form jazz style makes him nearly impossible to prepare for, and has left more than one head coach tearing up their gameplan in frustration. His nine-straight wins in the promotion’s most populated, and arguably it’s toughest division is a testament to his genius.
He takes on undefeated Sambo master Khabib Nurmagomedov in UFC 209’s co-main event for the interim lightweight title. While he’s not taking the Dagestani lightly, he can quite seem to avert his gaze from the throne that looks likely to be left vacant by the recently crowned monarch.
Twisting his words https://t.co/OD9Rr3gFs5
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) February 8, 2017
Ferguson’s response to McGregor’s “I am the ghost” tweet was actually very clever. The top contender cut straight through the cripplingly vague post to offer his own interpretation of the message – and it scanned.
He concluded that this was an admission from ‘the Notorious’ that his pursuit of a diamond-encrusted Red Panty Night against Floyd Mayweather was also him shirking his responsibilities as a UFC champion. He implied that the Dubliner’s eyes had become so blinded by dollar signs, that he would be unable to survive being dragged into the deep waters by the circling sharks waiting for him to dip his toes back in.
The beauty of Ferguson’s trash-talk is that it always feels real. Although it may not necessarily be the truth, you get the feeling that he genuinely believes in every one of his claims. That’s why his response to McGregor’s tweet was well-received by a lot of fight fans.
Paper Champ Who Thought U Could Walk Away From MMA #MoneyMadeYouSoftMcnuggets I Bet You Fade Like A Ghost. #Buster #ElCucuy pic.twitter.com/v0kG8ukS15
— Tony Ferguson (@TonyFergusonXT) February 6, 2017
However, why Ferguson was inspired to write that reply is a bit silly. As he told Submission Radio. he’s convinced McGregor’s message aimed at no one in particular was a personal shot at him.
“I got tagged in it. Somebody was like, ‘the only ghost that we know is El Cucuy, well he’s trying to jack your style, dude’. Come on dude, you’re really trying to pay attention to me that much by trying to jock my style?” Dude, go play somewhere else.”
Ferguson claimed that McGregor’s declaration that he was from the spirit world was somehow an attempt to steal his style. While the Dubliner’s gaze appears to be firmly focused on that 49-0 prized pugilist, ‘El Cucuy’ thinks he’s in the line of fire too.
“I told you, you have a pass from me. Wait til your kid is born, go enjoy your time. But you want to keep poking your nose at me and try to jack my style, jock my shit, try to rack up some points by being cool – fucking go do that somewhere else, dude. We’re real fighters over here. You ain’t no ghost. The only ghost you are is you’re gonna fade out. That’s why I call him a buster.”
Again, this doesn’t seem to be a fake reaction from Ferguson. He probably believes this to be true, and that attitude is part of the reason why we like him so much.
Although, it’s mainly the fighting.
