UFC lightweight Tony Ferguson has revealed how close he came to retiring from MMA after his loss to Michael Chandler.

With the world watching at UFC 274 earlier this month, Tony Ferguson fell to a shocking knockout defeat thanks to an incredible front kick from Michael Chandler. Now, at the age of 38, many fans and pundits have questioned just how much longer he’s got at the elite level in mixed martial arts.

Still, while he may not have had his hand raised, it seems as if there was a moral victory that ‘El Cucuy’ was able to take away from the showdown in Phoenix - as he noted during a recent interview with Submission Radio.

“I talked to my dad and my coaches and I said if I knew I didn’t have the gumption or the will to want to go anymore, if I didn’t do good in that first round, I would’ve called it quits. I would’ve said f*** this, I’m out, I’m retiring, I’ll go coach everybody to be at this high level and that’s it.”

“But I went back and watched the fight, and I remember reviewing everything, it was like something clicked in me, man.”

At the very least, Tony seems to be seeing things clearly for the first time in a long time.

Who’s next?

Any questions regarding who Tony Ferguson is going to fight upon returning to the cage should probably be put on hold for now.

Sure, it’s plausible to think he could tangle with the likes of Dustin Poirier or Dan Hooker if he so desired, but losing in the manner that he did can take some serious time to recover from.

It’s not that he can’t go out there and put on a real show because he clearly can, as exemplified in the first round.

Alas, the lightweight division is known for being ‘all killer and no filler’ which isn’t the sort of environment Ferguson needs to be in at the moment.

Perhaps a new chapter in his career is coming but it doesn’t need to be rushed, even if father time is beginning to catch up with him.