Never let it be said that a global health crisis could slow Tony Ferguson’s quest for UFC gold.

‘El Cucuy’ takes on Justin Gaethje this weekend with interim lightweight gold on the line in a fight which would be near the top of any fight fan’s list to headline the UFC’s first card in nearly two months amid the current coronavirus pandemic which has resulted in most sports grinding to an indefinite halt.

Ferguson, of course, is no stranger to fight cancellations in recent years. The latest came in April when the prior iteration of UFC 249 was shelved on fight week after UFC president Dana White bowed to pressure from ESPN and Disney executives following scrutiny surrounding whether or not it was prudent to hold a fight card during the Covid-19 pandemic.

As such, Ferguson has developed an attitude of staying ready. He even made weight for last month’s fight, despite it being cancelled.

And this is a mindset which he carries with him into the cage in Florida on Saturday night.

“I have a very small circle and I have to do that because if you hang out with people who have big egos, you are going to act like you have a big ego,” Ferguson said on the UFC Countdown show (h/t MiddleEasy).

“I’m too busy worrying about my shit and I love this s–t, man. I’m a fucking contracted killer out there. I aim to do my shit and I train like a fucking vicious dude. I’m always preparing for three to four people and that’s why I’m ahead of schedule. I haven’t had this confidence in a long fucking time, man. It took the training that I needed and the opponent. He’s not getting out of the cage.”

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Tony Ferguson fights Justin Gaethje for the interim UFC lightweight championship at UFC 249. You can check out the latest fight odds for that and the rest of the bouts on the card via our official betting partner Parimatch.