Tony Ferguson says he's 'comfortable inside a boxing ring' ahead of Misfits Boxing debut

Former UFC interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson’s UFC career may be in the rearview mirror, but “El Cucuy” is still drawing interest in the combat sports space ahead of his return to action in Manchester this weekend.

Ferguson will pull on the boxing gloves and step into the squared circle at Misfits Boxing’s X Series 22: Ring of Thrones, where he’ll face Nathaniel “Salt Papi: Bustamante at the AO Arena.

It’s a different kind of test for Ferguson, whose UFC run ended after eight consecutive losses. But, despite that run of losses, Ferguson has only lost by KO/TKO twice in his entire MMA career.

“I feel great,” he told reporters during the pre-fight press conference.

“I feel sharp close to this fight. I don’t have to talk too much, there’s enough that’s been said already. I don’t really want to talk too much because I don’t have to talk.

“This has been a great camp, I’m listening to my coaches. I felt uncomfortable during camp so I can feel comfortable during the fight. We’ve got a couple of days to go, the weight is good and I feel confident.”

Tony Ferguson — Misfits Boxing/Wasserman

It’s been a long time since Ferguson has tasted victory, with his last competitive win coming via doctor stoppage against Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone back in June 2019. But, despite that six-year winless run, Ferguson is confident that he has what it takes to hand the hard-hitting Salt Papi the third defeat of his influencer boxing career.

“We have many ways of shutting him down,” he stated.

“I feel comfortable here. I get to put shoes on. In MMA, I never really got to put shoes on. This has been a dream for me. This has been a big dream for myself.

“I always found myself comfortable inside a boxing ring. The only time I ever found myself in a cage was during fight night. Being real, I always wanted to box and I was never allowed to. This is an opportunity to express my talents.

“We’ve got five rounds to go out there so we’re not going to leave it to a draw. I’m going to go out there and you’re going to see the best Tony Ferguson has been in a while.”