Dan Hooker has a theory as to why Tony Ferguson has struggled in 2020.
Entering the year, Ferguson was on a 12-fight winning streak and expected to fight for the title. However, the global pandemic halted those plans and forced Ferguson to fight Justin Gaethje and Charles Oliveira in front of now crowds, and he was dominated in both.
So, for Hooker, he believes Ferguson feeds of the crowd and that is why he’s struggling.
“It’s pretty obvious to me what’s happened… (Tony)’s a crowd fighter, he draws energy from the crowd,” Hooker said to Submission Radio . “Under those big moments, under the pressure, 10, 20, 30-thousand people there, you can’t tell me that doesn’t change the environment of the situation. And Charles Oliveira, to me, he’s a fighter that traditionally doesn’t do very well under the pressure of those big fights. You look at any big fight he’s had in his past, and he freezes, or he’ll crumble under the pressure of those big fights. So, to me, that’s what it was. Tony wasn’t awake. Tony didn’t look like he’d been riled up. And Charles Oliveira was in the zone, in his element, and freely doing his thing.”
It is an interesting theory and one that does make sense. In Ferguson’s statement, he did mention how fighting in front of now crowd is different. Unfortunately for “El Cucuy” there is no timeline on when fans will be back.
