Tony Ferguson claims Conor McGregor's recent taunt after his knockout loss speaks volumes about the UFC star's character.
Ferguson suffered his fourth consecutive defeat earlier this month when he was brutally knocked out by Michael Chandler at UFC 274. It marked the first time that former interim champion Ferguson has been knocked out cold in his professional career.
McGregor was quick to mock his rival on Twitter, using Ferguson's own taunt of the Irishman against him by comparing his face to a chicken nugget. "Tony had some great nuggets in the media build up, then he got punt kicked to the chin and got turned into a nugget himself," he wrote.
"That’s crazy. If you pulled that out of a McDonald’s bag you’d dip it in sauce and eat without a moments thought. No doubt. That would pass as a legitimate McDonald's chicken nugget. That’s crazy!"
Ferguson has since responded to McGregor's taunt, claiming it shows the former two-weight champion is "mentally weak". A lot of things he does, it just has to say something about his character," Ferguson told Submission Radio.
"It's just to taunt people, it's mentally weak. It's like when you use a GameGenie and you're able to win fast, you don't really have fun anymore. He's trying to enjoy everybody's else stuff."
Ferguson even accused McGregor of copying his training techniques, such as conditioning his shins by kicking an iron pole. "The dude was riding my bike on his run trail. He was even kicking the pole, it was the most ridiculous stuff," he continued.
The UFC rivals were both previously shared the same management group in Paradigm Sports, but Ferguson parted ways after claiming the label owe him $500,000. McGregor also recently criticised Ferguson, who is now managed by Ballengee Group, for changing teams.
"Tony Ferguson, who changes representation around four times a year, is saying it’s someone else fault he is in the position he is in," he wrote. "How many bridges do you burn before you look yourself in the mirror and say, 'Maybe it’s me that’s the issue'? God bless you pal, I’ll say a prayer."
McGregor and Ferguson have been linked to fight since they both won belts at 155lb several years ago. The matchup is likely dead and buried after McGregor outlined his plans to fight at welterweight in his octagon return, stating he doesn't want to cut down to lightweight again.
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