LAS VEGAS – When Cageside Press reporter Rodney James received a “f**k you” from [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag] at the UFC 249 press conference Friday, he was taken aback – especially considering a conversation the two had last summer.
According to James, a former fighter and military veteran, he’d met Ferguson on multiple occasions. The two had been on good terms, particularly when James met Ferguson around the time of the World MMA Awards in Las Vegas last July.
In one specific conversation, James said he commended Ferguson on his achievements as a high-level professional athlete with a recent history of mental health struggles stemming from a series of domestic disputes.
“I said, ‘Look, man. I know you’ve gone through some struggles. I’ve got your back. I know what it’s like. Don’t ever feel like you’re alone in this fight.’ I kind of toed the line a little bit,” James told MMA Junkie on Friday. “… Right after I said that, he looked at me and said, ‘Man, I really appreciate that, brother. That means a lot.’ We shook hands and bro-hugged. Everything was all gravy.”
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As someone who openly struggles with mental health himself, James also has dealt with the issue in those around him. James’ jiu-jitsu coach, Robert Follis, committed suicide in December 2017. Tack that onto the high rate of suicide among fellow military veterans, and you get the inspiration behind his question, James said.
“One thing we train in the Army is, ‘If you see something, say something.’ If you know somebody is going through some problems, you’re better safe than sorry,” James said. “It’s better to have that difficult conversation and have that person get upset with you than it is to hear so-and-so committed suicide. I know a lot of soldiers who have committed suicide, unfortunately. The figure is like 22 per day. That was my intention, but it maybe wasn’t the best setting to do so (in). I took a bit of a gamble.”
At UFC on ESPN 4 last July in San Antonio, James said he asked Ben Rothwell a similar question. Like Friday, James did so with the hopes of receiving advice that could assist those struggling with mental health issues.
“The next thing I was going to say (to Tony) was, ‘If there’s anybody who looks up to you who struggles with similar issues, what advice would you give them? Because you seem to have really worked through a lot of that stuff here and now – and that shows a lot of courage. It shows you’ve done a lot of work on yourself.’ He didn’t let me get there,” James said.
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While James doesn’t feel good about receiving a verbal lashing in front of a couple thousand fans in attendance at T-Mobile Arena, he also thinks it’d be hypocritical to be judge Ferguson. He sees both sides of the coin.
“Maybe he thought I was steering that conversation down a path he didn’t want to go, because he’s on fire with the hype (he had) on stage,” James said. “At the same time, I don’t want to say I forgive him. I would like him to apologize, and I hope he does. Maybe he doesn’t even care. I hope we get the opportunity to speak face to face. …
“That being said, I have empathy. I have empathy, and therefore I have a lot of family members who have mental health issues and have treated me really badly and been mean and nasty. As I’ve gotten older and wiser, I’ve been able to compartmentalize that and not take it personally. That’s the way that person felt, and it’s not up to us to tell a person or feel that they should react or feel a certain way.”
In the lead-up to his return fight against Donald Cerrone last June, Ferguson wasn’t interested in discussing his mental health. James said on Twitter that he wished he’d seen those interviews before Friday. In a later tweet, James admitted the setting might have been inappropriate for his question – but also stuck by thinking Ferguson’s response was out of line.
James tweeted, “Perhaps it WAS inappropriate given the circumstances but so was his response. We’re even”
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