LAS VEGAS — Former Ultimate Fighting Championship title holder Tony Ferguson can’t win the lightweight belt at UFC 229 on Saturday night, but he already has the prize for the week’s weirdest press conference all wrapped up.
Ferguson will meet Anthony Pettis in the main undercard fight this weekend and could step in to the main event if either Conor McGregor or Khabib Nurmagomedov has to withdraw for any reason.
On Tuesday, in keeping with his spiky and unpredictable persona, Ferguson railed angrily at reporters, the UFC, the Mexican-American community, McGregor and Nurmagomedov and even doctors who doubted he could return swiftly from injury.
Ferguson started his media session by copying from NFL running back Marshawn Lynch, who repeatedly answered questions at Super Bowl media day in 2015 by saying: “I am only here so I don’t get fined.”
“I am just here because I have to be here,” Ferguson repeated, to the first few questions he received, before getting heated.
“It has been five months since my injury,” he said, referring to the torn knee ligaments that ruled him out of UFC 223. “It took a long (expletive) time for me to be here,” he said. “They took my belt, they took a bunch of zeros from my paycheck, how do you think I (expletive) feel?”
MORE:
UFC 229: McGregor is Nurmagomedov's best chance to stake real claim to greatness
Insensitive press event antics: McGregor threatens to overstep mark
New weight class? Two fighters make that claim for UFC 230
Mixed in with a series of oddly hostile remarks, Ferguson added some meaningful and moving snippets, like how he had been inspired in preparation for this event by a friend who died following an overdose, and also how his desire to fulfil his potential prompted him to give up alcohol.
But then there were the awkward bits. Most of it, in truth.
“Hold on, I am not done yet,” Ferguson said to to a reporter who began to ask a question, after Ferguson appeared to have stopped talking. “Don’t be rude. I am the (expletive) champ up here. Recognize that. If I have got my (expletive) shorts on, it doesn’t matter what I am wearing. You give me my respect.”
There had been no mention of his shorts. Ferguson seems to find slights where there are none.
“You are not me,” he continued. “You can’t think like me. You are not me. I don’t expect you guys to think like me because you can’t. All you guys do is sit there and poke your cameras and questions at these guys when really you should be turning the cameras on yourselves. Can you do it? You can do it now because I do it.”
Whatever that means.
He accused McGregor and Nurmagomedov of being more about promotional hype than fighting substance, said he is not supported by more Mexican-Americans because he doesn’t “have an accent,” then digressed into discussing how he has remodeled his kitchen, prefers Michaelangelo to all the other Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, admitted to having a chip on his shoulder then said actually he doesn’t — because he doesn’t like chips.
If he confuses Pettis as much as he confused those in attendance, he should rack up his 11th victory and land a shot at the title.
Follow USA TODAY Sports' Martin Rogers on Twitter @RogersJourno.
Source: Read Full Article