Tony Ferguson and Dustin Poirier were set to meet in a battle of former interim lightweight champions at UFC 254, but the UFC didn’t meet Poirier’s financial requirements and the bout was called off.
The former interim lightweight champion in Ferguson says he wasn’t clued into the plans for UFC 254 by the promotion beforehand, but Ferguson also realizes that he is just a piece of meat in the UFC.
“I’m going to be real,” Ferguson said on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show (via Nolan King of MMA Junkie). “I don’t know what their plans were before or after, but I was already ready. I was already counting on it. Seriously, I planned around it. I’m not much of a planner, so I was already going ahead of it, but then Dana wanted to speak for me. He wanted to go out there and be like, ‘Tony is going to take this fight.’ Like, bro, we’re not friends. I never said we were friends. It’s just business, right? I’m there when you need me, and then obviously when you don’t. Seriously, man. I’m a contractor. I do my thing. I love him and I love UFC and stuff like that, but I’m just a piece of meat out there. Do you know what I mean?”
There is a possibility that the bout between Ferguson and Poirier could come together in the future, once one or both of the fighter’s financial requirements are met by the UFC.
Ferguson is now looking towards the future and he has several opponents that he’d like to fight.
“Everybody wants me to fight Khabib right?” Ferguson said. “But I’ve got to earn my right back. OK, cool. Who’s it going to be? Dustin? Or is it going to be Chandler? I don’t give a fuck. I said it was a tournament. Now we’re adding in people. Alright, cool. Here we go again. Today marks the celebration, right? Khabib and (Conor) McGregor. That shit wouldn’t have happened unless they stripped my belt. So, fuck you. Pay me instead of this fucking clown. Like I said, Chandler, I have nothing against you – and Dustin, I have nothing against you. But I ain’t trying to help no one no more. Justin Gaethje, you’re fucking welcome you have a belt, son. I guarantee you I’m going to tell you to go get my belt because your ass is going to get fucking) whipped. I’m coming for it. So both you and fuck fathead, this is a message for both of you knuckleheads. It’s my mat and my time.”
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