So, maybe you think Ferguson would be on the same path, especially after suffering his first knockout loss to Chandler. But a message from his wife helped him realize that it wasn’t age or time spent in the sport that played a role in those performances.
“My wife is like, ‘When are you going to start training 100 per cent,'” Ferguson said, “I haven’t trained 100 per cent in years… I trained for the first time since about five or six years. So, I’ve done a lot of things and stepped out of my comfort zone. Which is easy for me, but a lot of other people don’t expect that. So, I’ve saved [my best tricks] like a magician for a very long time, for the moments that matter most. And it is now.
Preview fight by fight | UFC 279: Chimaev vs. Diaz
Not only is now a good time to start getting back into the win column, but also to find the most success in a new, lately unheard of challenge that Ferguson is presented with on Saturday night. At UFC 279: Chimaev vs. Diaz, Ferguson will compete at 170 pounds for the first time in 11 years.
On The Ultimate Fighter 13, Ferguson fought and won the competition at welterweight, but once he was signed to the UFC, it seemed clear he would find the most success at lightweight. . From then on, he was 155 pounds for all 19 UFC fights.
