Tony Ferguson was outclassed by Beneil Dariush at UFC 262 on Saturday as the MMA star slipped to his third consecutive defeat inside the octagon.
The 37-year-old American fighter held a 12-fight winning streak and was undefeated for eight years before his shock defeat to Justin Gaethje at UFC 249 in May 2020.
Ferguson failed to bounce back from the Gaethje defeat as Charles Oliveira secured a unanimous decision victory at UFC 256 in December 2020.
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Now, El Cucuy tasted defeat once again by unanimous decision at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
Ferguson was dominated by Dariush in the opening round as the UFC star failed to make any kind of breakthrough against his opponent.
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Dariush, 32, locked in a brutal heel hook on Ferguson in the second round as El Cucuy refused to tap out.
Judges awarded the UFC 262 co-main event fight to Dariush as the Iranian-born UFC fighter was scored 30-27 on all the scorecards.
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Speaking after his victory over Ferguson, Dariush insisted that he now sees himself deserving a place in a "title eliminator."
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The MMA fighter told UFC legend Joe Rogan: "Now I'm in the conversation, Joe.
"That was my 20th fight in the UFC, I'm finally in the conversation. I'd like to see myself in a title eliminator, whatever that is.
"But I'm gonna go on a break, my daughter comes next month. I'll see you guys at the end of the year or next year."
Topics:ย Tony Ferguson, UFC, MMA