Tony Ferguson is no stranger to the weird side of MMA, and a recent Sean Strickland story has only added to Ferguson’s unique nature.
‘El Cucuy’ is arguably one of the biggest upset stories in the UFC. The veteran went on a legendary 12-fight winning run inside the octagon, all without failing to capture the undisputed lightweight title. Now, he finds himself breaking the company record for the longest losing streak with eight straight losses in the cage.
When two of the most eccentric fighters in the sport sit down to talk, something unusual is bound to happen. That was the case when Sean Strickland and Tony Ferguson shared a phone call some years back.
“Tony is mentally f***ing ill,” Strickland said on the Versus Us Podcast. “So, my experience with Tony was, I was friends with him. We would talk occasionally.”
“He’s like, ‘Hey, I’m putting together a fight team in Huntington Beach.’ I’m like, ‘Ah, sh*t, alright Tony. Well, let me know if you need sparring.’ I was [at welterweight] at the time. I was like, ‘I got you.'”
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“I was like, ‘Let me know if you need sparring anytime.’ He’s like, ‘But, Sean. No. It’s super secretive… If you’re going to come train with us, I don’t want you training with anybody else.’ Like really f***ing weird.”
“[It was like] you’ve got the voices in your head weird. And I was like, ‘Tony, alright dog. I’m down dude, I’ll see you…’ And I just immediately hung up.”
Strickland continued, explaining further why he believes Ferguson may have been dealing with some problems.
“He accused one of his coaches of stealing from him. And [it’s] a guy that I know. He’s like, ‘Tony, I’ve never been to your house, bro. I don’t even know where you live. How did I break into your house and steal your sh*t bro? I don’t even know where the f*** you live, Tony.'”
“Tony, dude. That’s a whole bag of f***ing crazy.”
Listen to Sean Strickland’s story about Tony Ferguson and more below.
https://www.mmaweekly.com/news/sean-strickland-shares-story-about-crazy-tony-ferguson