Tony Ferguson lost again at UFC 262.

El Cucuy competed in the co-main event against Beniel Dariush and unanimously lost 30-27 across the board.

This marks the third defeat in a row for Ferguson, a man who previously owned a 12-fight win streak that included finishes over the likes of Kevin Lee, Anthony Pettis and Donald Cerrone.

“Time gets us all.” UFC president Dana White said of the 37-year-old lightweight after the event.

Not only has Ferguson lost three times in a row, but he’s lost in convincing fashion.

Justin Gaethje punished him badly before stopping him at UFC 249 almost exactly a year ago.

Then Charles Oliviera, the now new lightweight champion, handed Ferguson another shut-out loss last December.

Dariush’s dominance led to a particularly difficult spot for Ferguson where his foe had the heel hook locked in deep.

Despite Ferguson’s leg bending and everyone believing the fight was over, he simply refused to tap.

“It popped! I looked at him [screws up face] and then he started kicking me and went back to normal,” Dariush said. “And I was like ‘man, he’s not human.’ Tony is not human. 

“I thought to myself I’m going to squeeze this a little bit more, if he taps, he taps. If not, whatever. We’ll move on and keep doing what we’re doing. I popped the heel but couldn’t get him.”

So what’s next for Ferguson? He’s obviously a legend at lightweight and is still a big name to fight, but we’ve seen with Donald Cerrone recently, no matter what your legacy is you can’t just lose and stick around in the UFC.

Cerrone is now being asked is retirement is on the horizon and those questions are approaching Ferguson, especially after what White said about his age.

Ferguson taking on a Conor McGregor or a Nate Diaz would still be a big pay-per-view bout, but one more loss might do it for Ferguson.

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