Anthony Armand Ferguson Padilla (born February 12, 1984) is an American professional mixed martial artist and professional boxer, and is the current MFB Middleweight Champion. As a mixed martial artist, he is a former Interim UFC Lightweight Champion. A professional since 2008, he was signed to the UFC from his The Ultimate Fighter 13 win in 2011 until his departure in 2024. He is regarded as one of the greatest fighters never to have won an undisputed belt.
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Early life and education
Ferguson was born in Oxnard, California, on February 12, 1984, but grew up mainly in Muskegon, Michigan. He is of Mexican heritage. His surname of Ferguson comes from his Scottish American stepfather.
Ferguson was a three-sport athlete at Muskegon Catholic Central High School in American football, baseball, and wrestling. He was a starting defensive back for the 2000 Division 8 state football champions and was a three-time All-State selection in wrestling, winning the 152-lb division in 2002.
After high school, Ferguson enrolled at Central Michigan University before transferring to Grand Valley State University. He also did a stint at Muskegon Community College. He did not complete his degree, but had a successful collegiate wrestling career, winning the 2006 National Collegiate Wrestling Association national wrestling championship in the 165-lb division.
Following college, Ferguson moved back to California to be closer to his extended family, working in marketing and sales during the day and picking up shifts as a bartender at night. One night, while working a bar shift, a patron noticed Ferguson's cauliflower ear and struck up a conversation about his wrestling background. The patron was a trainer at a local MMA gym and invited him to work with some young mixed martial artists on their wrestling. Shortly after this, he decided to pursue a professional mixed martial arts (MMA) career.
Mixed martial arts career
Early career
Ferguson began his professional MMA career fighting in small organizations around California in 2007. Notable matches in his early career include a win over kickboxing champion Joe Schilling and a loss to future World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) fighter Karen Darabedyan.
The Ultimate Fighter
Ferguson applied to compete in the UFC's reality series The Ultimate Fighter multiple times. In 2010, he was finally accepted to compete in season 13 of the series after amassing a 10–2 professional record and winning the welterweight championship in PureCombat. He competed as a welterweight on The Ultimate Fighter: Team Lesnar vs. Team dos Santos.
Ferguson was selected as the third pick for Team Lesnar. In his first fight, Ferguson defeated Justin Edwards by knockout in the first round. He next faced Ryan McGillivray in the quarterfinals and won by a TKO in the first round. He then faced Chuck O'Neil in the semifinals and won by TKO in the third round to advance to the final.
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Ferguson officially made his UFC debut at the Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale against Ramsey Nijem to determine the winner of The Ultimate Fighter 13. Ferguson defeated Nijem by knockout in the first round to win a UFC contract. He also received a $40,000 Knockout of the Night bonus.
Following his debut, Ferguson returned to lightweight and faced Aaron Riley on September 24, 2011, at UFC 135. The fight was stopped after the first round after Riley said he had a broken jaw, resulting in a TKO victory for Ferguson.
Ferguson then faced MMA veteran Yves Edwards at the Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale. Ferguson won via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, and 29–28).
Ferguson was expected to face Dennis Hallman on May 5, 2012, at UFC on Fox: Diaz vs. Miller. Hallman pulled out of the bout with an injury and replaced by Thiago Tavares. Then, Tavares was forced out of the bout with an injury and replaced by Michael Johnson. Ferguson lost the fight by unanimous decision.
After over a year away from competition while healing an arm injury incurred in his last fight, Ferguson returned to face Mike Rio on October 19, 2013, at UFC 166 which was the beginning of his twelve fight win streak. He won by D'Arce choke submission in the first round. The win also earned him his first Submission of the Night award, valued at $60,000.
Ferguson faced Katsunori Kikuno on May 24, 2014, at UFC 173. He won the fight by knockout in the first round.
Ferguson was expected to face Danny Castillo on August 2, 2014, at UFC 176. After UFC 176 was cancelled, Castillo/Ferguson was rescheduled and took place on August 30, 2014, at UFC 177. Ferguson won the fight via split decision.
Ferguson faced Abel Trujillo on December 6, 2014, at UFC 181. Ferguson won the bout in the second round by submission.
Global Fight League
On January 24, 2025, it was announced that Ferguson had parted ways with the UFC and signed with the Global Fight League.
Ferguson was drafted by the GFL's Team Los Angeles the same day his signing was announced. He was scheduled to face Dillon Danis on May 25, 2025 at GFL 2. However, the first two GFL events were postponed indefinitely.
Boxing career
In January 2025, Ferguson was among names for a potential boxing bout against English megastar KSI after his bout with English footballer Wayne Bridge fell through. Ferguson revealed he turned down the offer to face Dillon Danis on the then announced GFL event in May.
Ferguson vs Papi
On July 5, 2025, Ferguson stated that he had a bout in boxing scheduled for August 30. Two weeks later, it was announced that Ferguson would face Filipino influencer Salt Papi for the MFB interim middleweight title, headlining Misfits 22 – Ring of Thrones alongside Darren Till vs Luke Rockhold at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England. Ferguson won the championship by technical knockout in the third round.
Ferguson vs Spencer
On November 4, Misfits Boxing co-president Mams Taylor announced that Ferguson would be returning to the ring in December to unify his interim title on the Misfits Mania – The Fight Before Christmas undercard. On November 19, the bout was announced for December 20 at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium in Dubai, UAE against Isle of Man influencer Warren Spencer. On November 22, Taylor confirmed during an X Space that the MFB middleweight champion, Saudi influencer AnEsonGib, had relinquish his title therefore making his bout with Spencer now set for the vacant MFB middleweight championship. He defeated Spencer via unanimous decision (49–45, 49–45, 48–46).
Ferguson vs Biyong
On 31 August 2026, BoxRec accidentally leaked that Ferguson is set to return against a currently unannounced opponent on the Deen the Great vs. Henry Cejudo undercard. On September 5, Misfits Boxing formally announced that Ferguson would make his first title defense against former soccer player Kenzo Biyong. The bout is scheduled to take place on September 28 at the James L. Knight Center in Miami, Florida.
Freestyle wrestling career
Ferguson signed with Real American Freestyle (RAF) on April 30, 2026.
He lost to Arman Tsarukyan by technical fall in the co-main event of RAF 10 on June 13, 2026.
Personal life
Ferguson has two sons with his wife, Cristina Ferguson. In March 2019, Cristina filed a temporary restraining order against Tony in Orange County, California, alleging uncharacteristic behavior including severe paranoia, prolonged sleep deprivation, destruction of their home fireplace, and beliefs that a tracking chip had been inserted into his leg during reconstructive knee surgery. According to court filings reported by multiple media outlets, she also stated that Ferguson had taken their son from the family home for several days without her consent, and that police had been called to their residence on multiple occasions over the preceding months.
She did not allege physical abuse, and later stated that the filing was intended as a precautionary measure to encourage him to seek help for his mental state. By April 2019, she had withdrawn the request, and the restraining order expired without any criminal charges being filed. He then began to resume MMA.
In the early hours of May 7, 2023, Ferguson was arrested in Hollywood, California and charged with driving under the influence after allegedly crashing his pickup truck into two other vehicles outside of a nightclub, causing his truck to roll over in the process. He was taken into custody and booked into the LAPD Hollywood police station where his bail was set at $30,000. He was later released from custody on a personal recognizance bond.
Fighting style
Ferguson is known for his well-rounded style which includes unorthodox striking, exceptional cardio, sharp elbows, and proficiency in D'Arce chokes. During his peak, he achieved a 12-fight winning streak, finishing nine of his opponents. His aggressive fighting style, particularly his use of elbows, often left opponents bloodied and contributed to six "Fight of the Night" bonuses.
Public appearance and cultural influences
Ferguson is known as one of MMA's most eccentric personalities. He constructed his own custom training apparatus at his house in Big Bear Lake, California and regularly posts videos of his unique workouts on his personal Instagram page. These include smacking his arms and legs against metal poles to build bone strength, throwing baseballs off a pitcher's mound to build power, and somersault jumps over tall stacks of gym mats.
Championships and accomplishments
Amateur wrestling
National Collegiate Wrestling Association
NCWA National Champion (2006)
NCWA All-American (2006, 2007)
North Central Conference Champion (2006, 2007)
Michigan High School Athletic Association
MHSAA Division IV State Champion (2002)
MHSAA Division IV All-State (2000-2002)
Mixed martial arts
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Interim UFC Lightweight Championship (One time)
The Ultimate Fighter 13 winner
Fight of the Night (Six times) vs. Edson Barboza, Lando Vannata, Rafael dos Anjos, Anthony Pettis, Donald Cerrone and Justin Gaethje
Knockout of the Night (One time) vs. Ramsey Nijem
Submission of the Night (One time) vs. Mike Rio
Performance of the Night (Three times) vs. Edson Barboza, Josh Thomson and Gleison Tibau
Tied (Khabib Nurmagomedov) for the second longest win streak in UFC Lightweight division history (12)
Tied (Donald Cerrone, Dustin Poirier & Islam Makhachev) for fifth most finishes in UFC Lightweight division history (10)
Second most D'Arce choke submission wins in UFC history (3) (behind Vicente Luque)
Seventh most significant strikes landed in UFC Lightweight division history (1221)
Seventh most total strikes landed in UFC Lightweight division history (1404)
Longest losing streak in UFC history (8)
Tied (B.J. Penn & Jeremy Stephens) for the second longest winless streak in UFC history (8) (behind Sam Alvey)
UFC.com Awards
Boxing
Interim Misfits Boxing Middleweight Championship (One time)
MFB Middleweight Championship (One Time)
Prime Fighter of the Night (One time) vs. Salt Papi
Misfits Boxing Awards
2025: Best Redemption (nominated), Fight of the Year (nominated)