Skip to main content

The Manual may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

What You Need to Know About Tony Ferguson Before UFC 262

Image used with permission by copyright holder

This evening, in Houston, Texas, another exciting UFC pay-per-view event is taking place with 24 combatants entering the Octagon. Among them is Tony Ferguson, one of the league’s top lightweights, who will be facing off against Beneil Dariush in the co-main event. If you’re looking forward to watching the UFC 262 live stream online this weekend and want to know more about one of the star fighters, here’s what you need to know about Ferguson.

Hailing from Oxnard, California, Tony Ferguson is one of the UFC’s top-ranked lightweight fighters. He currently sits at the fifth spot on the league’s highly competitive lightweight roster with a record of 25 wins (12 by knockout) and only five losses. Ferguson is also the former interim lightweight champion, a title he won at UFC 216 in October 2017 where he defeated Kevin Lee via triangle choke submission.

More UFC 262

Unfortunately, however, Ferguson was stripped of the title due to injury-induced inactivity — he was unable to fight again until UFC 229 in October 2018. There, he again claimed victory, this time with a second-round corner stoppage against Anthony Pettis. He followed up this win with another TKO victory at UFC 238 in July 2019 over Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone. Both of these performances earned Ferguson the Fight of the Night award.

The former champ’s 2020 run was less successful. The 37 year-old lightweight fought two matches that year: He lost his second shot at the interim lightweight title when he fell to Justin Gathje at UFC 249 in May, a bitter defeat that ended Ferguson’s 12-win streak. Later, at UFC 256, he lost to Charles Oliveira (who will be facing Michael Chandler at UFC 262 this weekend for the vacant lightweight championship) via unanimous decision.

Nonetheless, Ferguson remains widely regarded as one of the best UFC fighters to grace the Octagon and is a favorite among many fans due to his eccentric personality, social media presence, and entertaining combat style. Many are pulling for him to clinch a victory over ninth-ranked UFC lightweight Beneil Dariush, although Ferguson will face stiff competition from fighters like Dustin Poirier, Justin Gaethje, Conor McGregor, Charles Oliveira, and Michael Chandler if he intends to make another go at the lightweight championship. Time will tell if the 37 year-old former interim champ will get another chance to challenge for the belt.

UFC 262 starts at 6:30 PM ET, with the early prelims. The main card, which is the pay-per-view portion of the event, starts at 10 PM with Ferguson vs. Dariush serving as the co-main event. You’ll need ESPN+ to watch the UFC 262 PPV live stream online and now’s the time to sign up so you can tune in. ESPN+ costs $60 per year or $6 per month, but new subscribers can grab a one-year subscription along with the UFC 262 PPV bundle for just $90 and save $40.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Lucas Coll
Lucas Coll is a freelance commerce and affiliate writer for The Manual and our tech-focused brother site, Digital Trends…
UFC 276 Could Have the Best Fight Card We’ve Seen in 2022
Israel Adesanya at a press conference for a UFC event.

UFC 276 is happening this weekend and is bringing with it one of the best fight cards we've seen all year. Two championship bouts are taking place on the main card, and other UFC fan favorites including Sean O'Malley and Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone are entering the Octagon as well. Read on to learn more about who's on deck to fight on Saturday, how you can watch the UFC 276 live stream online with ESPN+, and why you don't want to miss out on what is shaping up to be one of the biggest pay-per-view events of 2022.

UFC 276 is a pay-per-view event, and the Ultimate Fighting Championship always brings the heat with these numbered monthly exhibitions. You can expect at least one championship bout for such events, but UFC 276 features two: The main event is a showdown for the UFC Middleweight Championship, with Israel Adesanya defending his title against Jared Cannonier. For the co-main, UFC Featherweight Championship Alexander Volkanovski is facing title challenger Max Holloway.

Read more
Charles Oliveira’s Record Going into UFC 274 & Best Performances
Charles Oliveira fighting Tony Ferguson at UFC 256.

On Saturday night in Phoenix, Arizona, UFC Lightweight Champion Charles "Do Bronx" Oliveira is facing down top title contender Justin "The Highlight" Gaethje in one of the most highly anticipated fights of the year. This will be Oliveira's second title defense since winning the belt in 2021. If you're looking to watch UFC 274 online this weekend and want to know more about the defending champ, we've picked out a few of the best fights and finishes from his long MMA career. After reading up, be sure to sign up for ESPN+ and grab the pay-per-view so you can stream UFC 274 live.

Charles Oliveira has been a staple of the UFC lightweight roster for more than a decade and has racked up an incredible record of 32 wins, eight losses, and one no-contest throughout his professional career. "Do Bronx," so nicknamed due to his poor upbringing in a favela in Sao Paolo, Brazil, seemed an unlikely candidate to become UFC Lightweight Champion. His journey through the division has been long and bumpy, and he has bounced between lightweight, featherweight, and catchweight during his 12 years with the UFC. You could write a short book about Oliveira's 41 professional bouts, but here are five of the champion's best and most career-defining finishes leading up to UFC 274:
UFC on Versus 2: Oliveira vs. Elkins
Oliveira's career with the Ultimate Fighting Championship began in 2010 when he made his league debut at UFC on Versus 2. There, he faced Darren Elkins at lightweight. After a rocky start with Elkins seeming to take the high ground early on, Oliveira immediately recovered from a slam to the mat and submitted his foe in the first minute of the first round with an armbar. It was a fitting preview of things to come, marking the beginning of Oliveira's knack for upsets as well as his run as one of the top submission artists in the lightweight division; a whopping 20 of his 32 professional victories have come via submission.
UFC Fight Night 170: Oliveira vs. Lee
UFC Fight Night 170 was notable for being the last show in 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the promotion to postpone further events. Charles Oliveira faced Kevin Lee, another top 10 lightweight, as the headliner on the main card in front of an empty arena. The event took place in Oliveira's home country of Brazil, and although Lee was favored to win, Do Bronx clinched an upset victory with a guillotine choke submission in the first minute of the third round. This win earned Oliveira a co-headlining spot on the UFC 256 main card against Tony Ferguson, setting him up as a real contender for a future title shot. Oliveira's victory at UFC Fight Night 170 also accelerated his upward trajectory which would soon culminate in him becoming the champion of one of the most top-heavy divisions in the UFC.
UFC 256: Oliveira vs. Ferguson

Read more
What Channel Is UFC on Tonight? Tune In to UFC 273 Live
ufc 273 ppv deal volkanovski vs the korean zombie head to

UFC 273 is here, and it's happening tonight. Alexander Volkanovski is taking on The Korean Zombie starting at 10 p.m. ET at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville Florida. If you're looking to watch live on the right UFC channel then you've come to the right place. We'll tell you exactly how and where to stream the event and what it's going to cost you. But first, some of the highlights. Besides the main card, Aljamain Sterling is taking on Petr Yan in a Bantamweight title bout, Burns is going head-to-head with Chimaev in a standard Welterweight bout, and the Women's Strawweight bout will feature Dern vs. Torres. As one of the biggest pay-per-view events for April, you'll need to pay up if you want to live stream the UFC fight. Here's everything you need to know about it, including where you can tune in.

These days, all UFC pay-per-views air live only on ESPN+ which means they're not available, legally, on any other networks. It is worth mentioning that only the main card is considered the pay-per-view event, so you'll need to sign-up for ESPN+ if you want to watch the big one: For tonight that's Volkanovski vs. The Korean Zombie. The main card, or the big fight, starts at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. Of course, that's not the only fight happening tonight. The early prelims and preliminary card fights are also airing on ESPN+, but you can watch those elsewhere if you want. A local pub, maybe?

Read more