It’s become clear why Tony Ferguson left his old management company, Paradigm Sports, to sign with Ballengee Group in April.
In a recent interview with ESPN’s Ariel Helwani, Ferguson, the former UFC interim lightweight champion, says Paradigm sports did everything they could to prevent him from fighting their golden goose, Conor McGregor.
According to ‘El Cucuy’, McGregor is the one calling the shots at Paradigm Sports.
“When I asked them, I said straight up, ‘I want Conor next,’ they basically told me no,” Ferguson said, per Low Kick MMA’s Abhinav Kini. “They’re defending him the same way Dana is defending him. Any person that’s got their hands in Conor’s pockets, they’re kissing their a**. I’m not going to say anything else about that but literally man, the kid don’t run the show. He don’t run me man. You never heard this dude speak my name, you never heard this dude talk sh*t about me.”
“I was pretty damn sure he was going to stay at 145. Apparently, he runs the show over there at Paradigm. I’m not going to talk bad about Paradigm. …But I have some people that are really looking after me now, there are a bunch of them.”
Ferguson also sounded off on ‘fathead’ Dana White, claiming the UFC president doesn’t want to see him fight the winner of Khabib vs. Poirier for the lightweight title.
“That’s because he’s a fathead too,” Ferguson said when asked about White’s interest in Khabib vs. McGregor II. “I’m going to tell you straight up, he’s a fathead too. I’m not talking down on Dana but Dana’s pissed on me more than once or twice man. He said anybody that wore glasses inside should have that sh*t done to them. Remember when I tripped? I wasn’t wearing sunglasses. I was wearing prescription glasses.
” I’m going to get p*ssed on either way man. They want to keep a brown man down. They don’t want to see me with money. Why? Because I might help myself, my family? Give a kid a chance. You want to book McGregor, Khabib, and make your own pockets fat? Cut me out a check and I’ll sit on the sidelines. But I’m not your backup no more. You like me, you don’t. I’m the people’s champ. I’ve had my belt before Dustin and I’ve had it before even Khabib. And these dudes want to act like they don’t even know me? I would too if they were scared as f*ck of me.”
Ferguson, 35, will return to the Octagon this Saturday at UFC 238, where he takes on seasoned veteran Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone in a lightweight clash at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois.
