Latest news with #TonyFerguson
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Cowboys sign TE Jake Ferguson to $52M deal as Micah Parsons continues without extension
The Dallas Cowboys got a deal done at training camp, but not the one fans are looking for. The Cowboys announced Sunday morning that they have signed tight end Tony Ferguson to a four-year, $52 million extension. All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons, meanwhile, remains without a deal as he seeks an extension entering the final year of his rookie contract. The deal for Ferguson makes him the highest-paid tight end in Cowboys history and the seventh-highest paid tight end in the NFL, according to the Cowboys. He signed the extension with one year remaining on his four-year rookie contract that scheduled to pay him $3.4 million in 2025. A fourth-round selection in the 2022 NFL Draft, Ferguson was a part-time starter as a rookie and has been Dallas' No. 1 tight end in the two seasons since. He emerged as one of quarterback Dak Prescott's favorite targets in 2023 with 71 catches for 761 yards and five touchdowns. Ferguson's production dropped last season as he tallied 59 catches for 494 yards without a touchdown. That still led Cowboys tight ends and was the good for the third-highest production among all Cowboys pass catchers behind CeeDee Lamb and Jalen Tolbert. The Cowboys bolstered their receiving corps with the addition of former Pittsburgh Steeler George Pickens in the offseason. Ferguson projects to remain as a top target for Prescott. Jerry Jones jeered by fans over lack of Parsons progress Parsons, meanwhile remains without a contract extension as the Cowboys prepare to practice in pads for the first time on Sunday. The absence of his extension remains the top story at Cowboys camp and one of the biggest training camp stories in the NFL. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was greeted with boos and calls from fans to "pay Micah" as he addressed fans during a public training camp session on Saturday. Jones' address to fans took place days after his Monday news conference in which he swiped at the availability of both Parsons and quarterback Dak Prescott while addressing Parsons' contract status at the start of training camp. Just because we sign him doesn't mean we're going to have him," Jones said of Parsons. "He was hurt six games last year. Seriously. I remember signing a player for the highest-paid at the position in the league and he got knocked out two-thirds of the year — Dak Prescott. "So there's a lot of things you can think about, just as the player does, when you're thinking about committing and guaranteeing money.' Parsons was not "hurt six games last year." He missed four of 17 games with injury. In his previous three seasons, Parsons played in 50 of 51 regular-season Cowboys games. He's a three-time All-Pro and has made the Pro Bowl after each of his four seasons. Parsons is seeking a deal that will make him among the highest-paid defenders in football after fellow All-Pro pass rushers Myles Garrett and T.J. Watt signed contracts in the offseason paying them $40-plus million per season. Watt signed a three-year, $123 million extension ahead of Steelers training camp that set the new bar. Parsons reported to training camp without his extension, but has been a limited participant since practices started on Tuesday. He watched Wednesday's session from the sideline with back tightness, but declined to call himself a hold-in. Training camp escalates in intensity starting Sunday as the Cowboys practice in pads for the first time.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Tony Ferguson sends fiery message to critics ahead of boxing debut
Tony Ferguson is the next fighter from the MISFITS card to call in before his fight against Salt Papi. He discusses his mindset at 41, leaving the UFC, his continued interest in Khabib, Conor McGregor's issues, Dustin Poirier's send-off, and more.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Tony Ferguson sends fiery message to critics ahead of boxing debut
Tony Ferguson is the next fighter from the MISFITS card to call in before his fight against Salt Papi. He discusses his mindset at 41, leaving the UFC, his continued interest in Khabib, Conor McGregor's issues, Dustin Poirier's send-off, and more.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Tony Ferguson goes off on 'washed up' criticism for Salt Papi fight: 'That's more fuel for my fire'
Tony Ferguson is ready to turn over a new leaf as a boxer. One of the most beloved MMA fighters of the past decade, Ferguson moved on from the UFC after his August 2024 fight against Michael Chiesa. The former interim lightweight champion initially planned to kick off 2025 by sticking to MMA with a matchup against Dillon Danis for the startup Global Fight League (GFL) promotion, however the GFL hit a snag prior to its debut events and now appears to be dead. Ferguson hasn't given up on his combat journey though, as "El Cucuy" instead shifted his focus to professional boxing. He's set to meet Nathaniel "Salt Papi" Bustamante at Misfits Boxing 22 on Aug. 30. "With the GFL and everything that was kind of going on, it was hit and miss," Ferguson said. "We would get a date and we would get a location, then nothing. Something would fall through. "I told Lloyd [Pierson], my agent, 'Hey, we've got to stay busy.' We reached out, we did some networking and made this happen [with Misfits]. "I've been wanting to box since I was little, and I was never allowed," Ferguson continued. "My dad said, 'You're going to have to play a sport where you can get a scholarship, and you can go do that because I'm not going to pay for that s***.' I wasn't able to box with UFC. Nothing against that. The focus was all on that. Now I get to put shoes on, I get to put on boxing gloves, and I get to not worry about other things I used to not worry about. This is fun because it's a whole new sport." Ferguson, 41, has been on a rough stretch since compiling one of the greatest runs in UFC lightweight history — a 12-fight undefeated streak from 2013 to 2020. The former interim champ has since lost eight straight, and parted ways with the UFC having set a new promotional record for its longest losing skid. Boxing will be a new foray for him, but Ferguson's violent striking style was a staple of his MMA game throughout his rise to prominence. And the chirping has already begun, as Ferguson and his debut opponent attended Wednesday's Misfits Boxing 22 pre-fight press conference in London. "I saw this guy face to face — he did not talk about knocking me out face-to-face," Ferguson said of Bustamante. "He didn't say the same thing when I was in front of him. I made sure I sized my hand up with his, and I made sure that he understood where I was coming from, that I'm not f***ing joking around. He has eight fights underneath his belt. I have zero [in boxing], but I'm going to take that one and it's going to be mine. "I'm excited because my weight has been low. I've been keeping it [low] instead of 200, 205, where I'm usually comfortable. Pops gave me the best recommendation when GFL was on the way — keep your weight low, so that way you don't have to keep making weight all the time and fluctuating weight. So I've been at 175 [pounds] steady, f***ing hungry and I'm ready to go. ... I don't f*** around." Despite going winless over the past six years, Ferguson's confidence doesn't appear to have wavered one bit. Instead, he's fueled by the new opportunity. And though the MMA community has pleaded with "El Cucuy" to call it a career, it's only motivated him further to pursue what he believes he's capable of. "90% of the f***ing comments out there are saying that I'm washed up, I'm old, and I should f***ing retire and all this other bulls***," Ferguson said. "They're saying that because they can't f***ing do this s*** that I'm doing. It's crazy. The other 20% is saying that 'Salt Papi' is going to knock me out. So 100% of you b****es are out there hating on me. You know what? That's more fuel for my fire. "I wouldn't say I feel completely disrespected because this age group is completely different, right? I'm talking to dudes that are interviewing me that started watching me when they were five, now they're 23. I'm old. I'm 41 years old and halfway to 82. When it comes down to it, I'm still moving like I'm f***ing young, and I'm not going to quit moving, dude. I've been doing this since I was four or three years old."
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Darren Till vs. Luke Rockhold, Tony Ferguson vs. Salt Papi set for Misfits Boxing 22
Darren Till is returning to the boxing ring — and so is former UFC champion Luke Rockhold. On Wednesday, Misfits Boxing announced the headliner bouts for Misfits Boxing 22 on Aug. 30 in Manchester, England. The event will be headlined by a bridgerweight match — 200 to 224 pounds — between Till and Rockhold, airing live on DAZN. In the co-main event, former UFC interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson will make his professional boxing debut against Nathaniel "Salt Papi" Bustamante. The match will be contested in the 160-pound middleweight division. Till, 32, is undefeated in his boxing career since he left MMA in 2023. "The Gorilla" first scored an exhibition TKO win over Mohammad Mutie in 2024 before winning pro bouts this year against Anthony Taylor and Darren Stewart. Like Till, Rockhold has tried to stay active in the striking arts since leaving the UFC in 2022. Rockhold has fought twice outside the promotion, dropping a second-round TKO to Mike Perry in his 2023 bare-knuckle boxing debut before a earning a highlight-reel knockout of Joe Schilling in a Karate Combat match in April 2024. Ferguson will also be a newcomer to the Misfits Boxing ring. The match will be "El Cucuy's" pro boxing debut, coming after he exited the UFC this past January. Ferguson left the promotion after setting the unfortunate record for the longest losing streak in UFC history at eight straight. Renown as one of the greatest lightweights of his era during his prime, he initially intended to stick with MMA and signed with the now-defunct Global Fight League (GFL) for a fight against Misfits Boxing alum Dillon Danis, however the bout failed to come to fruition due to the GFL's collapse before it held a single event. Among all four athletes announced for Misfits Boxing 22, the well-known influencer-turned-boxer, Salt Papi, is the most experienced in the boxing ring. The 31-year-old currently rides a three-match win streak in his exhibition career, holding a 6-2 record overall. Outside of his debut in March 2022, Salt Papi has scored stoppages in all of his wins.
