Justin Gaethje tormentedTony Ferguson atUFC 249 on Saturday.- Fighting in front of a reduced
UFC production crew and no fans, Gaethje put together the bestMMA win of the year so far. - Gaethje relied on in-and-out footwork, leg kicks, and striking so accurate and powerful that he brutalized his opponent's thighs and tore his face apart.
- Gaethje now only has one opponent he wants to wage war against — lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov. "I'm happy to represent the United States of America against Dagestan … Russia's best."
- Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
Justin Gaethje tortured Tony Ferguson at UFC 249 on Saturday, bringing an abrupt end to one of the most intimidating runs in mixed martial arts.
Ferguson had been on a 12-fight winning streak which created one half of a salivating match-up with the UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Ferguson was supposed to be fighting Nurmagomedov at UFC 249 when it was originally scheduled for April 18.
The event was nixed from its initial New York site because of the worsening spread of the coronavirus, and with it unclear where or if the show would even take place, Nurmagomedov flew back to Dagestan and then couldn't leave because of Russia's coronavirus-enforced lockdown.
The UFC was then shoved from its April 18 date altogether after mounting political pressure saw Disney force UFC boss Dana White to cancel his plan to hold a mystery event on Native American land in California.
But, for White, the show had to go on so the UFC rescheduled UFC 249 to go ahead with Gaethje replacing Nurmagomedov for an interim title fight behind-closed-doors at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville on May 9.
On Saturday, in front of a reduced production crew and no fans, Gaethje put together a disciplined striking offense built on foundations of in-and-out footwork, leg kicks, and accurate punching.
UFC strawweight champion Weili Zhang and her March challenger Joanna Jedrzejczyk have the leading fight of the year candidate for their bout which left both disfigured, but it is Gaethje who now has the clear MMA win of the year because he did to Ferguson what Ferguson usually does to others — he tormented his legs, tore his face up, and may have broken his orbital bone.
If you want unadulterated maliciousness from your combat
Gaethje did not have it his own way throughout the bout, though. A Ferguson uppercut at the end of the second round was so hellish it beat the blood out of his opponent's face, flickering it into the empty arena.
—ESPN MMA (@espnmma) May 10, 2020
But the main theme of the night was Gaethje landing strikes so accurate and powerful that one had to marvel at Ferguson's ability to absorb punishment, but wonder how long he could really take it for.
—UFC on BT Sport (@btsportufc) May 10, 2020
In the end, he could only take it to the midway point of the fifth round when a Gaethje jab sent him wobbling backwards, in retreat, perhaps knowing his legs had failed him because of his opponent's kicks down there, and his face was in agony because of it kept getting knuckled.
The referee waved it off. It was over. Gaethje had won. There is a new terror in town, a lethal weapon who has the division's outright champion Nurmagomedov in his crosshairs.
Moments after the win, Gaethje was given the interim belt, which he did not accept, instead saying he would "wait for the real one" — the belt belonging to Nurmagomedov.
"This is hard work, I've worked since I was 4 years old," Gaethje said.
—ESPN MMA (@espnmma) May 10, 2020
"I was getting hit too much, having too much fun, getting complacent," Gaethje added. "I feel bad for him because if that was me, I'd be f------ pissed because I'm ready to die. I'm a killer in here."
Ferguson, who had been training for a fight against Nurmagomedov since last year, may well have been over-trained for a May 9 war.
Post-fight, reflecting on defeat, he said the long camp may have had something to do with the loss — his first since 2012.
"S--- happens, man," Ferguson said.
As for Gaethje, he now turns to Nurmagomedov.
"I'm happy to represent the United States of America," he said in the middle of the Octagon. "Against Dagestan … Russia's best. He's 28-0 and there's no other challenge I want right now."
Read more:
Conor McGregor texted the UFC boss Dana White saying he's desperate to fight on 'Fight Island'
Read the original article on Insider