He was talking about feeling the best has in years, finally free of nagging injuries, and hoped to make one final run at the title.
At 40 years old, that may have been the end of his dream last night.
Guy always seemed to be near the cusp, but was just never able to cross the finish line.
Shame, because he's been one hell of an entertaining fighter over the years. Crazy big knockouts in so many fights. Always comes to throw down.
Your man, Tony is/was an even more extreme case..So to speak.
An IC champ on a 10 fight winning streak. that lost his belt, and his shot at the Undisputed LW belt. Because he tripped over a cable in a darkened tv studio. Wearing his sunglasses inside, in a fairly dark place. That really sucks. But it’s hard to see that as anything but a self inflicted wound, imo. It was easily avoidable, imo.
Slightly bizarre that he actually ended up fighting on the exact card that Khabib fought Conor on. About 6 months after his injury/surgery. I didn’t think he’d fight again in 6 months.
Khabib and Tony were scheduled to fight, for the fourth time, iirc. At UFC 223, because Conor got stripped.
Then Tony beat Pettis on that card (UFC 229), by corner stoppage (Pettis had a broken hand that wasn’t broken, iirc). Then he beat Cerrone in his next fight.
Then another shot at the Undisputed LW Belt. But Covid cancelled everything for a few weeks. Including Khabib/Tony (this time, for the fifth time they were scheduled to fight).
Then he got another shot at the Interim Title. And we all know what happened when Tony fought Justin.
I watched all of their UFC fights a week or two before 223. And I honestly didn’t think Tony had a hope in hell. People saying he’d cut up Khabib from the bottom. And there would be a Dr. stoppage.
The worst gameplan I’ve ever heard of. Talk about a hail Mary.
So, because of Conor’s bullshit. And unfortunate circumstances. Tony never did fight for the undisputed title.
Yet he actually earned it.. At least a couple of times.
