“He has big history of moves like that,” Tony Ferguson blames Bobby Green’s ‘vision-impairing’ eye poke for UFC 291 loss

UFC 291 remains another perfect example of why Tony Ferguson should retire. The former champion has become a shell of his prime version.

“He has big history of moves like that,” Tony Ferguson blames Bobby Green’s ‘vision-impairing’ eye poke for UFC 291 loss

Tony Ferguson blames eye-poke for his loss at UFC 291 (Image Courtesy - Bloody Elbow/MMA Mania)

Tony Ferguson suffered his sixth straight loss at UFC 291 in Salt Lake City. The former interim champion fought veteran Bobby Green in a three-round bout. Green submitted Ferguson in the dying seconds of the fight to end the bout. Despite the loss, Tony had a built-in excuse due to the eye poke that happened in the first round. After the loss, he blamed Green’s eye-poke for his loss at the PPV on Instagram.

He wrote, “As the fight began, I was in the Xone, flowing & feeling confident Bobby knew the direction of the fight & I believe he knew what he was doing when he poked my eye. He has a big History of moves like this. It significantly impaired my vision, making it difficult to see clearly out of my eye. Despite this eye poke, I never considered stopping the fight. Although the doc wanted too. Throughout my career, I’ve always pushed through challenges & never given up. This time was no different.” (H/T MMA Fighting)

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Ferguson indicated that Bobby Green has a history of illegal moves like this in his arsenal. Earlier this year, Green headbutted Jared Gordon on his way to earn a knockout victory. However, the referee reviewed the footage and deemed the fight a no-contest. Nevertheless, Tony could have told the doctor that he could not continue, but he proceeded to fight.

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This is also the second submission loss of Ferguson’s career. Even after losing six straight inside the octagon, Ferguson did not consider the possibility of retirement. It appears the UFC will have to cut Ferguson in order for him to rethink his MMA career.

Related: Did Bobby Green cheat? Why was he suspended from fighting?

Aljamain Sterling praises Bobby Green for submitting Tony Ferguson

Bobby Green
Bobby Green (Image Courtesy – MMA.pl)

In his prime, Tony Ferguson had an excellent submission game. Bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling is known for his excellent grappling ability and knowledge. He appreciated Bobby Green digging deep to submit the former interim champion at UFC 291.

Sterling wrote, “Wow! Thought it was going to a decision but Green pushes on the ground to finish by head and arm choke. Impressive to do that Tony.” Green submitted Ferguson in the last ten seconds of the third round.

Green joins Nate Diaz as the only two fighters to submit Tony Ferguson. Expert submission specialists like Beneil Dariush and Charles Oliveira could not submit Ferguson. Hence, Green’s accomplishment remains amazing to achieve such a difficult task.

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