The Fans’ Main Event

Former UFC interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson was putting in work at the Ultimate Combat Training Center in Salt Lake City earlier this week, when some of the younger students recognized “El Cucuy” and swarmed him for Insta-worthy photo ops.

Don’t worry, he left his murder blade back at the hotel.

Ferguson, 39, will face fellow lightweight veteran Bobby Green on the UFC 291 pay-per-view (PPV) main card this Sat. night (July 29, 2023) at Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, in hopes of snapping a disastrous five-fight losing streak that dates back to May 2020.

“Tony’s bringing a little something extra and you guys are gonna see that on Saturday night,” coach Jeremiah Vance said. “Tony’s a really well-rounded athlete. He’s played baseball, football, wrestling, MMA, so he’s really dynamic. His approach to the game is really unorthodox and I think it’s real hard for guys to make that adjustment and the gameplan we got for Bobby Green is gonna be a good one.”

Ferguson (25-8) may need a strong performance to keep himself on the roster. In addition to his age, and more importantly the wear-and-tear on his body after 15 years as a pro fighter, “El Cucuy” has exhibited increasingly-troubling behavior outside the Octagon.

“This is a really important fight, of course everyone knows that,” Vance continued. “We’re coming to win but it’s a different energy this time. Definitely. They’re running a kids class over here and of course they recognize Tony and he just took about 50-60 photos. He’s always showing love to the fans and they’re always showing him love back. He’s a fan favorite. Even though he’s not the main event, for this fight he’s the fans’ main event.”

Once ranked No. 1 in the world, Ferguson is no longer listed among the Top 15.

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 291 fight card right RIGHT HERE, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches at 6:30 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining undercard balance on ESPN/ESPN+/ABC at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 291: “Poirier vs. Gaethje 2” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the updated and finalized UFC 291 fight card and ESPN+ lineup click here.