It sounds like UFC 216 headliner Tony Ferguson has mixed feelings about fighting this Saturday in Las Vegas following the worst mass shooting in U.S. history. Ferguson is set to face Kevin Lee for the interim lightweight title again, but it will be in the shadow of this horrible tragedy.
To make things worse, Ferguson revealed to MMA Fighting that his family was planning on being at the Route 91 festival on the night of the shooting, which is something that must mess with your mind.
“They were going to go to the festival. My wife had a gut feeling, she was like no we’re [not] gonna go,” he said. “So it’s a crazy one but my wife, she has a gut feeling and when she had a gut feeling for me to go to Big Bear to go and train and get out of the media and stuff, that was the smartest thing we could have did.
“My family had just got out of church. My wife and her parents and my son, they love music and when they got done with church they were going to head over there to the fair. And I was just getting done with recovery at Complete Wellness here in Las Vegas, and I was on my way to go get food … and my wife tells me don’t come back, and my brother-in-law hits me saying that he heard all this stuff and they had multiple people and it was crazy just a plethora of thoughts.”
Words Cant Explain The Feeling…. Everyone Here In #LasVegas Becareful, My Heart, Thoughts & Prayers Are With You. Stay Safe Please
— Tony Ferguson (@TonyFergusonXT) October 2, 2017
“And I’m just surprised that they’re still allowing this fight. That just kinda just says something where it’s like … when you lose and you win, your next fight, you’re only as good as your last fight. Instead of forgetting it, I’m bringing it with me. I’m bringing the people that were harmed, that were injured, that are not here anymore. The people that went through the bullsh-t and had that sense of security missing. It’s bulls**t.”
The incident clearly rattled Ferguson a bit but what’s he supposed to do about it?
“Be professional about it,” he said. “I’m not going to let this guy beat me. I’m very focused, I’m very hones in, and I have the ability to take the chaos and mold it. That’s my superhero power. To be able to hone it in and do what I want with it.”
UFC 216 takes place on Saturday October 7th from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The UFC has announced plans to donate $1 million to families of the victims and has dedicated the event to the city and its residents.
