Former interim UFC lightweight champion Tony Ferguson doesn’t seem confident about his boxing skills ahead of his debut in the sport this month.

While Ferguson’s record losing skid in the UFC left many wishing to see him hang up the gloves, the longtime fan favorite is set to continue his career away from the Octagon.

And the first step in his career outside the cage comes on August 30, when Ferguson co-headlines Misfits Boxing 22 in Manchester, an event that will conclude with Darren Till vs. Luke Rockhold in the main event.

The 41-year-old’s pro boxing debut comes against TikTok star-turned-pugilist Salt Papi, who has gone 6-2 against fellow internet personalities since joining boxing’s crossover craze in 2022.

Tony Ferguson admits his boxing is ‘sloppy’ ahead of first post-UFC fight

Ferguson will enter his first foray into the ring off the back of a horrendous run that brought his UFC tenure to an end. ‘El Cucuy’ has lost eight straight fights since a victory over Donald Cerrone in 2019 left him tied with Khabib Nurmagomedov for the second longest winning streak in UFC lightweight history.

In his final fight before being released, Ferguson was submitted by Michael Chiesa in one round at a UFC Fight Night in Abu Dhabi. That result won’t be repeated in the veteran’s new venture, but it does not seem as though the American is too confident in his hands.

Speaking to Inside Fighting ahead of his first fight in one year, Ferguson made a worrying admission about where his boxing level is at less than two weeks out from fight night.

“Probably a two,” Ferguson said when asked to rate his boxing skills on a scale of one to 10.

“I’m still learning this s—, you know? I’m so sloppy and everything else. … I’m still learning the game. I’m like a blue ribbon here.

“I can’t bulls—, I can’t lie” Ferguson added. “Boxing’s always been in my blood, it’s something I always wanted to do.”

Salt Papi had three other UFC veterans on his opponent ‘list’

Before Ferguson got the call to co-headline Misfits Boxing 22, it seems the promotion sought to put his opponent up against three different names from the MMA world.

Salt Papi revealed three other UFC veterans that were on his list of potential foes for the August card — Nate Diaz, Anthony Pettis, and Mike Perry.

“Tony is a legendary fighter and I was shocked when he accepted the fight,” Salt Papi told Fred Talks Fighting. “I didn’t expect him, such a big name, to give me an opportunity to fight.

“I’m not sure if they turned it down, maybe they were just busy, but I had people on the list like Anthony Pettis, Mike Perry, Nate Diaz.

“All the big names, really, and Mams told me Tony wants to fight, so that’s it,” he added. “We can always revisit or fight a professional boxer.”