![]() ![]() And he had that wrestler’s mentality from day one. Out of all the guys who were on the squad though, TUF 13 coach Brock Lesnar liked him the most, kind of from day one. He’s doing stuff that nobody else does, from the way that he would shadowbox, the way that he’d do jiu-jitsu, the way that he’d wrestle. He’s just so creative with everything he does. That’s what makes him such a good fighter. Tony had this thing where the biggest thing about him was he was so damn creative. But there are some, they’ve just got magic, you know? They literally just do cool stuff. They have no depth of personality away from the screen. It’s like, you ever meet a celebrity in person? A lot of celebrities are just like talking to a wall. ![]() And that’s why he catches people, because he’s just constantly rehearsing his mind over and over and over and over again. So when it comes time to put it on, he does it without even thinking about it. And he does his own stuff, but he practices these moves over and over again. When Tony trains, he’s just like a magician. They have to practice it over and over and over again, and they have to be flawless with what it is they’re doing. But that’s how Tony is too.Ĭope: The concept behind the magic for him is, magicians have to be very creative when they do these tricks. He’s going to tell you straight up, “No, you know what? You’re fucking up. We’re really intense people with everybody. Yes, he’s intense, but that’s the way we are as Latinos. ![]() I’m a really intense person, so I understand it. The way he is, I think Latinos understand that. Javier Torres (TUF 13 castmate): That’s what people don’t understand. Tony Ferguson, second from left in the front row, was one of 14 original cast members on “The Ultimate Fighter 13” in 2011. He’d be doing just some whack trick, and then all of a sudden, you’re just like, “What - what the hell just happened?!” This guy’s literally doing this magic, and then he’s doing backflips and cartwheels. But then he would be doing all kinds of crazy stuff in the house. This guy just basically seems like a regular dude. But to me, those are the kind of personalities I like.Ĭope: We get into the house, and I’m thinking to myself, yeah, this guy’s not going to do anything. People don’t want to understand others, and they’re kind of drawn away from that. I was probably one of the people that got to know him better than anyone else on the show. We quickly gravitated toward each other because we had similar work ethics and we trained together so closely throughout the whole season. He does things that you don’t think are going to happen, you couldn’t possibly comprehend somebody even doing - and he goes out there and does it.Ĭhuck O’Neil (TUF 13 teammate/opponent): When I made it onto the show, I was on his team. And from day one, it was apparent to many of his TUF 13 housemates that there was more to “El Cucuy” than met the eye.Ĭhris Cope (TUF 13 teammate): Tony Ferguson, he’s an outlier. So Ferguson’s UFC 249 headliner and interim lightweight title fight against Justin Gaethje in Jacksonville, Fla., on Saturday, fast approaches, The Athletic reached back into his past, speaking with former opponents, teammates, roommates and others to unravel some of the mysteries of “El Cucuy.”Įditor’s note: Answers were edited for length and clarity.įerguson first announced his presence on “The Ultimate Fighter 13” and won the welterweight season despite being a natural lightweight. Known for his unique style both in and out of the cage, Ferguson is the kind of guy to cut weight for a fight that didn’t even happen.
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