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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Martin Domin

Tony Ferguson admits coaches' advice led to defeat against Nate Diaz

Tony Ferguson revealed he will talk to his coaches after their advice led to him being choked out by Nate Diaz.

Ferguson was submitted in the fourth round of his main event clash with Diaz at UFC 279 on Saturday night after shooting for a takedown of his own. Diaz was able to lock in a guillotine choke to ensure victory on his final outing for the promotion.

And Ferguson later admitted he made a tactical mistake after taking advice from his corner after the third round. "I should have kept it standing," he said. "I've got to discuss some things with my cornermen; nothing bad, nobody is getting fired.

Tony Ferguson changed his tactics in the fourth round (Zuffa LLC)

"No-one is doing f***ing bad, it's just some adjustments This is a new game for me, it's mixing things up and putting the MMA together. Nate was looking for that guillotine; he had a full camp to be able to do stuff and you are what you practise. We did a lot of wrestling practise and we did a lot of good stuff, it's just unfortunate. S*** happens; I wish I had made it to the fifth round. I know what to do better next time, but it f***ing sucks."

"For some reason his corner told him to take him down. They said, 'Take him down'. He was chopping that leg, he kept kicking that front leg, obviously doing damage but his corner told him to take him down and Nate capitalised on it."

Who should Tony Ferguson fight next? Let us know in the comments section below

Ferguson has now lost five fights in succession and has not had his hand raised for over three years. But he said: "When it comes down to an L, it comes down to putting food on the table. I'm going to be real, I don't see any Ls, I just see growth. The last four fights before this I was sandbagging. I wasn't doing anything, my wife called me out and I found a good team. It was fun as s***. This has been a f***ing trip and I'm still glad to be here.

"These younger generations see guys like me and guys like Nate and they see us stepping up. I have a lot to learn, I have very little ego when it comes to learning. I listen to my coaches, I listen to my training partners and I listen to my cornermen."

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