Tony Ferguson has revealed that he linked up with David Goggins for his own reasons, not necessarily to organize for UFC 296.
On the time, former interim lightweight champion Ferguson was riding a lengthy losing streak and needed a giant performance against the unproven Paddy Pimblett. Consequently, he pulled out all of the stops and got into peak shape under the tutelage of former Navy SEAL and influencer Goggins.
Ferguson became the one athlete to ever complete the influencer’s gruelling ‘hell week’ task that included hours of high-octane cardio and push-ups. Nevertheless, it was all for nought as he suffered yet one more defeat to Pimblett and hasn’t won a fight since.
Tony Ferguson explains the true reason for David Goggins link-up
Now, Tony Ferguson has set his sights on the ring, making his debut for Misfits Boxing on Saturday night on the AO Arena in Manchester against Salt Papi. And speaking exclusively with Bloody Elbow, he explained that the Goggins experiment went beyond just training for a fight.
“I’m the just one who had the balls to have the ability to undergo hell week,” Ferguson insisted. “I’ll back up chief any f—ing day, I got his six any f—ing time and it doesn’t matter what anybody says about him.
“I went through that, I had heart-to-hearts with him and he was the one. People were like ‘oh the training wasn’t right’. I took that side quest because I needed it, it wasn’t for the UFC it was to bring the person out of me again.
“It was to have the ability to say ‘ what Tony? I do know what type of person you might be’. I’m the identical f—ing guy. I did need it and he put me back to where I needed to be.”
Tony Ferguson explains the advantages of David Goggins’ training methods
While the training didn’t get him the result he wanted, Ferguson still swears by the work he did with Goggins. The controversial trainer’s methods are brutal, but clearly got the previous champion back into the position he felt he needed to be in to compete again.
“I at all times desired to be the large bodybuilder variety of dude,” Ferguson continued, flexing his muscles. “But he was like ‘dude, you don’t must be that, you’re a powerful motherf—er because I put you thru the ringer and also you were capable of get through it’.
“No one else could get through it you saw [Israel Adesanya] undergo it? He lasted, what, a day? And that’s not talking s— because I’m going to be real with you, Goggins didn’t have a pamphlet with numbers and s— like that. He goes off of everybody.
“You would like people like me on the market, you wish people like Goggins on the market to f—ing have the ability to drag the logs and the boats. I’m the f—ing BOAT. Better of All Time, motherf—er. GOATs come and go, but BOATs stay afloat.”