Tony Ferguson openly blasted the UFC’s treatment of its fighters this week. He accused UFC president Dana White of acting like a “drug dealer”, and at the UFC 274 pre-fight press conference asked for the UFC to provide health insurance to its fighters. Conor McGregor, former two-division champion, has taken exception to Tony Ferguson of all people biting the proverbial hand that feeds him, and aired his response on Twitter.
“Tony Ferguson, who changes representation around four times a year, is saying it’s someone [else’s] fault he is in the position he is in.
McGregor Blasts Tony Ferguson: ” How many bridges do you burn?”
How many bridges do you burn before you look yourself in the mirror and say, ‘Maybe it’s me that’s the issue’? God bless you, pal, I’ll say a prayer.”
It’s fair to say that Conor McGregor has gained more from his UFC contract than perhaps any other fighter. McGregor was 2020’s highest paid athlete in the world. His pay-per-view share earns him millions with every fight, and McGregor’s other business ventures continue to make the Irishman wealthier despite his losing streak of late.
Of course, Conor McGregor is an Irish citizen. Tony Ferguson, a citizen of the United States, receives virtually no state assistance in the matter of healthcare. It’s normal for employers in the US to provide health insurance to employees as a perk or feature of their employment contract. The Republic of Ireland, which Conor McGregor calls home, is the only country in Western Europe with no universal healthcare, but those without private insurance are still entitled to free care through the public health system.
It may strike some as ironic to see Conor McGregor, who is arguably as famous for his trash talk and out-of-Octagon antics as for his fighting, criticize another fighter’s “burning bridges”. McGregor infamously flew to New York to throw a trolley at a bus containing then-lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov (among a host of other UFC fighters) following months of vitriol between the two.
Conor was charged following the incident, and subsequently rewarded with a title fight against Khabib in 2018. Conor lost the fight via rear naked choke, but a massive brawl between McGregor’s team and Khabib’s ensued immediately after the fight.
Tony Ferguson, meanwhile, once boasted a twelve-fight winning streak, extending into 2019, but never ended up fighting for the lightweight belt. He is currently riding a three-fight losing streak, starting with a loss in a fight for the interim title against Justin Gaethje, and will face Michael Chandler at UFC 274 this weekend.
Do you agree with Conor McGregor, or is Tony Ferguson right to campaign for improved working conditions? Let us know in the comments.
