UFC 238: Tony Ferguson beats Donald Cerrone by controversial TKO as referee waives fight off
- Doctor rules Donald Cerrone cannot fight in third round because his right eye is completely shut and nose is broken
- Tony Ferguson hit Cerrone with a blatant hard right after the bell sounded at end of second round
Tony Ferguson got a controversial second-round TKO victory against Donald Cerrone with the referee waiving the fight off before the third round at UFC 238.
“El Cucuy” landed a blatant hard right after the bell had sounded for the second round, with Cerrone’s face already swollen – his right eye was completely shut and his nose was broken.
Cerrone then made the mistake of blowing his nose to get the blood out. The doctor ruled he could not continue, with referee Dan Miragliotta checking to see if Ferguson’s cheap shot had caused the swollen eye. But eventually it was ruled that Ferguson’s blow landed on the nose.
The Chicago crowd mercilessly booed Ferguson and he told Joe Rogan to speak to Cerrone first when the UFC commentator came up to him for his post-fight interview in the Octagon.
“I just asked if they could push the air back down, that’s all I wanted, the punch had nothing to do with it,” Cerrone said. “That was the fight everybody wanted, I’m so sorry.
“I don’t quit, I don’t back down. I just want to keep fighting, I asked if they could push the air back down. I shouldn’t have blown my nose, I’m a veteran, I’m old school. I humbly couldn’t finish the fight and I apologise.”
Ferguson said he would be open to a rematch, and expressed disappointment in his performance.
“It’s not how I wanted the fight to go,” he said. “It’s really emotional here, it’s a f****** fight in here. “There’s no words can express it, I don’t like to win that way. If we can throw it back I don’t mind doing that.
“He’s a hell of a fighter. I don’t wanna win like that. I’m a better person than that, I’m a better fighter than that. I’m gonna be p***** at myself for long time.”
Third from the top of the card, it was a good enough match-up on paper to main event any UFC show, and it certainly lived up to the billing before the premature end.
Cerrone, on a swift turnaround having beaten Al Iaquinta just a month ago, landed a few shots in a tentative first round before a late flurry got the crowd on their feet.
Ferguson had not fought since October, when he got a TKO over Anthony Pettis, but he looked loose and sharp, and was just as unconventional as ever.
Cerrone took Ferguson down in the second round but “El Cucuy” was quickly back to his feet, and the second round was all him – but he then landed the shot after the bell and the controversy started.
