Ferguson suffered torn MCL before Pimblett loss
Tony Ferguson was apparently compromised going into his UFC 296 fight against Paddy Pimblett in December.
The former interim lightweight champion, who suffered a unanimous decision loss to Pimblett on Dec. 16 in Las Vegas, said Friday he tore his MCL during a training session about five weeks before the bout.
"I kept it to myself and put it behind me until after the fight," Ferguson wrote in an Instagram post. "I trained like no one knew. Shit hurt so good. Three weeks before fight time, (I) told a few of my crew. Nothing changed."
Ferguson said he underwent surgery to repair the knee ligament on Jan. 18, one week after having a separate procedure to remove bone fragments in his elbow.
"Got it over with so I can do what I do best," Ferguson wrote.
The 39-year-old suffered his seventh straight defeat against Pimblett, tying former two-division champion BJ Penn for the longest losing streak in UFC history. Ferguson was one of the best lightweights on the planet for years before hitting a rapid decline in 2020.
After the fight against Pimblett, "El Cucuy" said he didn't intend to retire from MMA yet.