What Does Tony Ferguson's Nickname Mean? | Easily Explained

by Martial Arts Insider September 15, 2022

Tony Ferguson is known for being one of the most unique individuals (both personality and fighting style) that Mixed Martial Arts has seen.

Ferguson also has an interesting nickname.

In this page, we will explain what Tony Ferguson's nickname is, what it means, and how he got it.

What is Tony Ferguson's Nickname?

Tony Ferguson's nickname is 'El Cucuy', which when translated to Spanish means 'The Boogeyman'.

Fighter nicknames typically resemble a fighter's personality & fighting style.

tony ferguson nickname

In the case of Tony Ferguson, El Cucuy fits him perfectly.

How Did He Get His Nickname?

Ferguson would get his nickname when one of his first trainers would point out that he looked scary, like the boogeyman due to his cauliflower ears and relentless fighting style.

It's Tony Time

Ahead of his scheduled fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov (which would never happen), Ferguson and Nurmagomedov would participate in a press conference.

These two rivals were seemingly the only fighters that could consistently get under the skin of the other.

Khabib would ask Dana, "Dana what time is it?"

And Tony would interrupt by saying:

TONY TIME pic.twitter.com/xHUZij0E76
— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) September 9, 2022

Khabib would respond that "Nobody is talking about Tony time, everyone is talking about Khabib time", and the pair would continue to bicker back and forth.

However, the self proclaimed nickname "Tony Time" was born, and fans and even the UFC would reference to it any time that Tony would fight.

How Good Was Tony Ferguson In His Prime?

Although Ferguson is now on the back end of his career, and has recently been on a losing streak..

Tony Ferguson in his prime was one of the best Lightweights on the planet.

Some of the things that made him special during this time include:

12 fight UFC win streak

Including wins over Donald Cerrone, Anthony Pettis, Kevin Lee & Edson Barboza
9 of those wins were finishes

He would seemingly never get tired
All of his opponents would receive tremendous damage during the fight
Even if he was 'dropped' during a fight, he would immediately recover
Along with his knockout power, he also possessed elite submission skills

Joe Rogan Thinks Ferguson is the Scariest Fighter

After Ferguson beat Cerrone, Joe Rogan would say that Ferguson is the scariest guy at 155 lbs in "his world", because Ferguson doesn't get tired.

Rogan would also say:

That cowboy fight freaked me out. Cowboy looked like Tony had bricks in his gloves.

His face was all busted up. Tony didn't look like he had a scratch on him.

Tony wasn't even tired.

Tony does stuff to people, but he doesn't get tired.

Former UFC fighter Yves Edwards would confirm Rogan's thoughts.

Edwards would tell a story of Ferguson throwing a calf kick that Edwards would check, and the legs of both fighters would connect, shin to shin.

Edwards would explain that a situation like that causes an enormous amount of pain, but when he looked at Ferguson's face there was no reaction, and no indication that it ever happened.