At 41, Tony Ferguson is ready to make a fresh start in his combat sports career as he prepares for professional boxing debut on Saturday night.

More than 12 months have passed since a first-round submission loss to Michael Chiesa brought down the curtain on his time as one of the UFC’s most beloved talents.

The loss marked Ferguson’s eighth-consecutive defeat in the UFC in an unwanted streak that immediately followed the now-legendary 12-fight unbeaten run that saw him capture the UFC interim lightweight title.

‘I think we were doing our shakeout, it was on a Thursday or Friday last year in Abu Dhabi.’ Ferguson told Daily Mail Sport. 

‘And I had said, I’m f****** tired of not wearing shoes. I was like, “I can’t wait to box”.’

Tony Ferguson is ready to make his professional boxing debut at Misfits 22 on Saturday

The 41-year-old departed the UFC last year after more than a decade fighting the best the promotion had to offer

Ferguson had toyed with the idea for years but was unable to fulfill his ambitions in the squared circle due to his contractual obligations with the UFC.

After a MMA fight with Dillon Danis on the ill-fated GFL promotion fell through, Ferguson turned his attention fully to his pugilistic ambitions and contacted Misfits co-president Mams Taylor about moving into the world of influencer boxing.

For his first assignment in the promotion Ferguson has been matched up with Nathaniel ‘Salt Papi’ Bustamante.

An influencer who rose to prominence during the pandemic for his content on TikTok, the 31-year-old first made the jump into influencer boxing in 2022 and made waves with a first-round KO.

Unlike many of his contemporaries simply seeking to test themselves in an unfamiliar avenue, Papi quickly demonstrated a natural aptitude for the sport and has since established himself as one of Misfits’ most exciting in-ring talents.

For Ferguson, that is exactly what made him the ideal opponent for his debut.

‘When it goes into boxing, he’s a professional boxer,’ Ferguson continued.

‘He’s six and two. He’s battled with some of the best as far as when it comes into the organisation. 

In his debut Ferguson will take on influencer-turned boxer Nathaniel ‘Salt Papi’ Bustamante

Ferguson praised Papi but insisted the TikTok star has never faced anyone like him

‘He’s got a good head on his shoulders. He’s got some hands. He’s got some movement, but he’s never been in there with a guy like me.’

In Papi’s defence, few have ever seen a fighter quite like Ferguson.

The Californian’s training methods are legendary for being as physically gruelling as they are unorthodox.

Ferguson even enlisted renowned motivational speaker and endurance athlete David Goggins to put him through his infamous ‘Hell Week’ back in 2023. 

The gruelling regime ultimately proved to be the spark for a process of rejuvenation that he so desperately needed.

He continued: ‘When I went through the Goggins camp and I went through everything, it wasn’t to get me ready for MMA. It was to bring me back to what was me. 

‘A lot of people were like, “What happened with you? What’s going on? 

‘There’s a loss of interest. I have been that athlete since I was little. When I lose interest in something like that, you can kind of start to see it unless somebody is like, “Hey, dude, come here for a second. Let me talk to you”. 

‘And for a long time, a lot of people have been afraid. They just don’t know what the f*** to say. They just don’t have that high stature in order to be able to point me in the right direction. 

Ferguson added that training with David Goggins allowed him to get his spark back for competition

‘So when I had somebody like Goggins put me through the hell week and I accomplished that, which was light work it got me back onto where I wanted to go.’

As he approaches the twilight of his career in combat sports, Ferguson added that he is happy to be back training with a smile on his face and a renewed fire in his belly as he prepares to step between the ropes for the first time.

‘At 41 years old, I’m starting a new sport. This is my pro boxing debut, something that I’ve always wanted to do.

‘I want to put on shoes. I want to go out there and demonstrate my quality talent in boxing. I want to be able to keep growing as an athlete. And I want to be able to continue to win championships. 

‘And here we go, I’m fighting for a title and I have the opportunity to be able to go out there and show that I’m still capable of being able to go f*** somebody up.’