Dana White calls for UFC star to retire after next fight

White’s position on Ferguson hasn’t changed. He petitioned the 40-year-old to call it quits after his last loss to Paddy Pimblett at UFC 296 in December — a bout he lost by unanimous decision and one he didn’t quite look like a fighter with a killer instinct like he had during most of his UFC run.

“I would love to see Tony retire,” White said after that loss. “When you talk about a skid, you look at the guys he fought too and that plays a factor. And how did he look right up until he lost? [Against Pimblett] Tony looked like he should retire.”

During his losing streak, Ferguson has lost to a who’s who of the UFC’s lightweight division. He dropped decisions to Pimblett, Beneil Dariush and Charles Oliveira, and he was finished by Bobby Green, Nate Diaz, Michael Chandler and Justin Gaethje.

Five of those fighters — Oliveira (No. 2), Gaethje (No. 3), Chandler (No. 6), Green (No. 15) — are in the top 15 of the UFC’s lightweight rankings, and four of them (Oliveria, Gaethje, Chandler, Diaz) were either champion, interim champion or fought for the lightweight title.

Prior to his recent run of bad luck, Ferguson was one of the top contenders in the 155-pound division. From his UFC debut in June 2011 when he won “The Ultimate Fighter 13” to his win over Cerrone in 2019, Ferguson was 16-1, finishing 11 of those bouts by knockout or submission.