‘El Cucuy’ Becomes First Man To Complete ‘Hell Week’

Ferguson is the first person to push through a complete ‘Hell Week’ from the former Navy SEAL and endurance athlete.

No one can break Tony Ferguson, not even David Goggins.

The former Navy SEAL and current social media influencer has been working with “El Cucuy” to prepare him mentally and physically for his upcoming fight with Paddy Pimblett at UFC 296. He’s shared videos of Ferguson working insanely hard, puking, and then getting back to training. Some have questioned the sanity of working an MMA fighter this hard coming into a fight. Goggins believes those people “have no idea what they’re talking about.”

Now Goggins is back with positive news! Ferguson has completed ‘Hell Week,’ and is apparently the first person who didn’t break under the stress.

“Tony finished Hell Week today,” Goggins wrote on Instagram “I have had many people try yet he is the first one to get through it. I have had a lot of great athletes over the years want to train with me but for one reason or another, ‘something’ always miraculously comes up so they can’t complete it.”

“There is a look I see on the faces of people who are on the brink of quitting called the thousand yard stare. They start asking questions — when is it going to end? What’s next? How many sets are left? Are we coming back again tonight? Is this healthy for you? This is when I usually start laughing my ass off. I tell them it is time to pack your bag and go home. Once you start asking these questions, I know you are not committed.”

“I broke El Cucuy on Day One, or at least I thought I did,” Goggins continued. “I had him deep in the hurt locker and figured the questions were soon to be coming. I told Kish late that night ‘This motherf—er is done!’ But, I was wrong. He woke up on Day Two even more fired up to go. There was never a question asked. His response was always the same: ‘OK, Coach.’”

“Around 11pm on Wednesday night, when he could barely walk after having completed nearly 2 miles of walking lunges and a shit ton of other cardio and weight training, I figured I would put a fork in him and gut him. But the craziest thing happened … The motherf—er gave me a crazy ass smile and I could tell that he had flipped the switch.

I was there for the rebirth of El Cucuy.”

“It happened somewhere on the Jacob’s Ladder at around 11:11pm. I knew then that the torture I was putting him through was no longer torture. In order to get through hell, you have to become the Devil! And that night, the Devil surfaced and boy was it a beautiful sight to behold! We both laughed because we knew what was happening.”

“A lot of people ask me if I think he will win his next fight,” Goggins wrote. “I don’t have the first damn clue about that. That’s up to Tony. What I do know is that the man who walks into the octagon on December 16th will be a deeply changed man. Sometimes when the fight is near, the warrior must go back home because home is where the hell began. My friends, Tony is home! Hello darkness my old friend.”

There’s debate to be had about whether Goggins’ extreme measures will help or hinder Ferguson’s overall ability to train. But it’s good to know that Tony is still committed enough to the sport to go through a ‘Hell Week’ with Goggins and push through it. If he’s as motivated to fight as he was to push through Goggins’ program, Paddy Pimblett is in trouble.