Tony Ferguson’s release from the UFC was an emotional time in his career.
Ferguson (25-11) parted ways with the UFC after almost 14 years of competing inside the octagon. It was a successful ride for Ferguson, who kickstarted his tenure by winning Season 13 of “The Ultimate Fighter” in 2011 en route to capturing the UFC interim lightweight championship.
However, Ferguson closed out his run on a historic downfall after amassing a UFC-record eight consecutive losses, most recently a submission to Michael Chiesa last August at UFC on ABC 7.
“I have to tell you, I packed up all my UFC stuff, I put it into bags, and it was the hardest f*cking thing I had to do,” Ferguson said Monday on “The Ariel Helwani Show.” “It was a couple of days where it took time for me to be able to adjust. I put everything in big storage bags, and I was ready to move on. I went into ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ with the purpose of winning a fat check so I can help my family out, my grandma and everything, and I ended up getting a contract. So, this whole entire process has never been a disappointment,
“But what it has been is a learning experience of