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In the UFC 249 main event, Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethje competed for the interim lightweight title (70kg) and that’s why they played one of the busiest games in recent years. Despite the absence of the audience, the athletes made use of a frank exchange of blows from the start that crowned Gaethje as the new interim UFC champion.
For this, the athlete had to impose an unusual volume of play. From the first round, the Americans alternated combinations of straight kicks with cross kicks and low kicks with punches that undermined the once invincible fighter, who was eight years undefeated in the octagon.
In addition to winning the belt, Justin has signed up to face linear champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, who is expected to reappear in the second half of this year for a title fight.
Interestingly, after injuries, cutting weight issues, and even a pandemic, which prevented a fight between Ferguson and the Russian champion five times, it is now Gaethje’s turn to thwart fans expecting such a crash.
The struggle
The first round was marked by a calmer presentation than usual by Gaethje. By better choosing the moments of attack, the fighter struck strong low and direct kicks that undermined the resistance of the rival, who in turn did not stop walking forward at any time. 10 x 9 for Justin.
And such a wish became valuable in the following stage, when Ferguson connected two strong and clean blows to the rival. The first, a superman hit, made Justin sway. The second, a crossover in the closing seconds of the round, led to a fall just before the bell rang. Fight tied so far: 19 x 19.
As the costume orders in every exciting fight, the advantage must change hands. Thus, the third round was favorable for Gaethje, who attacked again with quick and forceful combinations, leaving Ferguson at times with no attack options in the middle of the octagon.
In the fourth round, Justin was even more direct and even rocked Ferguson with a forehand center. In the sequence, the former interim champion crossed the octagon to escape a possible blow that could disrupt the dispute.
The last stage was marked by the unmistakable career of Ferguson, who resisted as long as he could before the referee interrupted the confrontation and presented him with his first loss since May 2012.
Follow the results of UFC 249:
Justin Gaethje knocked out Tony Ferguson in the fifth round;
Henry Cejudo knocked out Dominick Cruz in the second round;
Francis Ngannou knocked out Jairzinho Rozenstruik in the first round;
Calvin Kattar knocked out Jeremy Stephens in the second round;
Greg Hardy defeated Yorgan de Castro by unanimous decision;
Anthony Pettis defeated Donald Cerrone by unanimous decision;
Aleksei Oleinik defeated Fabricio Werdum by split decision;
Carla Esparza defeated Michelle Waterson by split decision;
Vicente Luque knocked out Niko Price in the third round;
Bryce Mitchell defeated Charles Rosa by unanimous decision;
Ryan Spann defeated Sam Alvey by unanimous decision.
