Abu Dhabi – UFC welterweight Michael Chiesa takes on Tony Ferguson at UFC Abu Dhabi on Saturday night, but it’s to be seen which version of ‘El Cucuy’ he sees in the octagon.
“I would be a fool to train for the Tony Ferguson that’s on the skid. I would be a fool to overlook him given the current situation with his career,” Chiesa told reporters on Wednesday.
“I’m training for the guy that I was supposed to fight eight years ago.”
Chiesa (16-7) was supposed to face Ferguson in 2016 at UFC Fight Night 91. Chiesa dropped out of the fight due to a back injury.
“I’m training for the guy that I was supposed to fight amidst this crazy win streak that he was on. Just because he’s 0-7 in his last seven fights doesn’t take away his offense. It doesn’t take away his skills. It doesn’t take away his d’arce choke. It doesn’t take away all the things that he does very well,” he said.
“I’m training for the dangerous Tony Ferguson that we all knew so well, the one that we all love. I mean I get all these messages like ‘please just throw the fight with Tony Ferguson’. What a terrible thing to message me!”
The possibility of this being Ferguson’s last fight is something Chiesa believes makes his opponent very dangerous.
“If this is really his last fight I imagine he’s going to pull out all the stops,” said Chiesa.
“I hope I get the best version of him. I want the version of him that I was supposed to fight eight years ago.”
Watch the entire media day scrum with Michael Chiesa above. He takes on Tony Ferguson at UFC Abu Dhabi on Saturday.
