UFC 249: Justin Gaethje stops Tony Ferguson to turn lightweight division on its head and set up Khabib fight
- Gaethje stuns the world of MMA with fifth-round TKO, as Ferguson suffers first knockout loss
- ‘I want the real one,’ Gaethje says, after throwing down his interim lightweight belt and challenging Khabib Nurmagomedov
Justin Gaethje was cruising to a unanimous decision win, and the interim UFC lightweight title, against Tony Ferguson. But then he went and added an exclamation point.
“The Highlight” may not have got one of his trademark barnstorming knockouts, but he became the first man to knock out Ferguson with Herb Dean stepping in late in the fifth round to save “El Cucuy” from any further punishment.
Ferguson had been peppered with brutal shots through five rounds, and to his credit ate them all. But he was almost out on his feet at 3:39 of the fifth round. Dean had seen enough, awarding Gaethje a TKO win which turned the lightweight division on its head.
“I want the real one,” Gaethje told Joe Rogan in the Octagon after throwing his new belt down to the ground. He’ll get the chance to take it off Khabib Nurmagomedov now, with hopes for the Khabib-Ferguson fight now perhaps finished forever.
It was an incredibly mature performance from Gaethje, who instead of rushing in to try and finish a wounded Ferguson, took his time and landed calculated blows – something his head coach Trevor Wittman drilled into his head between rounds.