MMA News
Photos | Tony Ferguson before and after UFC 249 fight with Justin Gaethje
Christopher Taylor - May 10, 2020
Tony Ferguson squared off with Justin Gaethje for the UFC’s interim lightweight title yesterday evening in Jacksonville, Florida. The highly anticipated bout served as the main event of UFC 249, the promotions first fight card since March’s ‘UFC Fight Night’ event in Brazil.
Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Justin Gaethje betting odds revealed
Adam Martin - May 10, 2020
The online sportsbooks have released the opening betting odds for the upcoming UFC lightweight title bout between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Justin Gaethje. Gaethje earned the interim title and a shot at Nurmagomedov’s belt in the coming months after his bonus-winning effort against Tony Ferguson in the main event of UFC 249. Gaethje put on an absolute clinic for nearly 25 minutes, beating Ferguson down with punches and kicks and finishing him with less than two minutes left in the bout. It was the most impressive performance during Gaethje’s UFC career.
Photo | Justin Gaethje was well ahead on the scorecards in fight with Tony Ferguson
Christopher Taylor - May 10, 2020
Justin Gaethje took home the UFC interim lightweight title last night in Florida after earning a TKO victory over Tony Ferguson in the UFC 249 main event. Gaethje was able to get the better of Ferguson in the striking department for the majority of the opening four rounds. By the time ‘El Cucuy’ stood up for the start of round five, he was wearing multiple facial cuts and had bad swelling around his right eye. ‘The Highlight’ continued his striking assault in the fifth and final round which eventually prompted the referee to step in and call a stop to the contest.
Tony Ferguson suffered a fractured orbital at UFC 249, reacts to Justin Gaethje loss
Chris Taylor - May 10, 2020
Tony Ferguson showed the heart of a warrior last night at UFC 249, but it was not enough to score a victory over the hard-hitting Justin Gaethje. ‘El Cucuy’ and ‘The Highlight’ squared off for the promotions interim lightweight title yesterday evening in Jacksonville, Florida.
Khabib Nurmagomedov sends classy message to Tony Ferguson: "When your son grow up, he'll be proud with you"
Adam Martin - May 10, 2020
UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov sent a classy message to Tony Ferguson, wishing his rival’s family well after Ferguson lost at UFC 249. Ferguson suffered a one-sided beatdown at the hands and legs of Justin Gaethje on Saturday night, as Gaethje turned on the volume late in the fifth round and earned a late TKO stoppage. The loss snapped the 12-fight win streak for Ferguson and all but guarantees we won’t see him fight Nurmagomedov anytime soon after the pair’s five previous encounters have been wiped out due to various factors.
Videos | Top 5 Submissions: UFC 41 – UFC 50
Adam Martin - May 10, 2020
Below, check out videos of the top five submissions from UFC 41 to UFC 50, featuring BJ Penn tapping out Matt Hughes at UFC 46. In our latest series here at BJPenn.com “Top 5 Submissions” we take a look at the most lethal submissions from the fourth block of UFC events. These submissions all took place from 2003 to 2004, and they feature numerous future UFC Hall of Famers in their early days. Keep in mind there are many other submissions deserving of the list, but we had to choose just five.
Pros react after GSP gets inducted to UFC Hall of Fame
Adam Martin - May 10, 2020
Many of the best fighters in mixed martial arts took to social media to congratulate GSP on his induction into the UFC Hall of Fame. It was announced during the UFC 249 broadcast that Georges St-Pierre — arguably the greatest MMA fighter of all time — will be next to be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame later this year. Typically the UFC does the inductions during International Fight Week but due to the coronavirus pandemic, the ceremony will take place at a later date.
UFC 249 bonuses: Justin Gaethje wins $100,000
Adam Martin - May 10, 2020
The bonuses have been announced for UFC 249, and headliner Justin Gaethje took home $100,000 after beating Tony Ferguson in the main event. Gaethje put an absolute clinic on Ferguson for nearly five full rounds in the main event of the evening before the referee stopped the fight due to TKO with less than two minutes remaining in the fight. It was an incredible performance by Gaethje, who is now the UFC interim lightweight champion. The big win at UFC 249 also earned Gaethje some much-deserved bonus money.
Jairzinho Rozenstruik releases statement after scary KO loss to Francis Ngannou at UFC 249
Adam D Martin - May 10, 2020
UFC heavyweight contender Jairzinho Rozenstruik released a statement following his scary KO loss to Francis Ngannou at UFC 249. In a highly-anticipated battle between two of the top heavyweights on the UFC roster, Ngannou was able to blitz Rozenstruik early on, needing just 20 seconds to put his lights out. It was the first loss of Rozenstruik’s MMA career and is happened in devastating fashion and Ngannou knocked him out cold with one of his trademark power punches.
Photo | Donald Cerrone appears to have suffered a broken nose at UFC 249
Adam D Martin - May 10, 2020
UFC welterweight Donald Cerrone appears to have suffered a broken nose during his unanimous decision loss to Anthony Pettis on the prelims of UFC 249. Cerrone and Pettis battled hard for 15 minutes but the judges ultimately felt that Pettis did more and handed him the unanimous decision. The loss marks Cerrone’s fourth straight defeat, though given his reputation he is of course at no risk of losing his spot on the roster. As for Pettis, he bounced back after losing his last fight to Diego Ferreira.
Henry Cejudo calls Demetrious Johnson the GOAT
Adam D Martin - May 10, 2020
Former UFC bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo said that he believes Demetrious Johnson is the greatest MMA fighter of all time, otherwise known as the GOAT. Cejudo shocked the MMA community when he retired immediately after knocking out Dominick Cruz in the main event of UFC 249. The former UFC bantamweight and flyweight champ said that he is retiring to start a family. “Triple C” said that he’s happy with what he’s accomplished in his MMA career and he is proud to go out on the top of his game.
Khabib Nurmagomedov issues statement following Justin Gaethje’s TKO win over Tony Ferguson
Adam D Martin - May 10, 2020
UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov has issued a statement following Justin Gaehje’s TKO win over Tony Ferguson in the main event of UFC 249. Gaethje took Ferguson to the cleaners, picking him apart with big shots for nearly five full rounds until the referee stepped in and stopped the fight with just over a minute left in the final round. It was the biggest win of Gaethje’s UFC career to date and he now owns the interim UFC lightweight title. That means he has earned himself a chance to unify the belt against Nurmagomedov later this year.
Justin Gaethje explains why he feels bad for Tony Ferguson following UFC 249 stoppage
Adam D Martin - May 10, 2020
UFC interim lightweight champion Justin Gaethje explained why he felt bad for Tony Ferguson following the main event of UFC 249. Gaethje beat Ferguson to the punch for nearly 25 minutes until the referee stepped in and stopped the fight just before the final minute late in the fifth round. It was the most complete performance of Gaethje’s career and proves that he’s an elite fighter at 155lbs. For Gaethje to go in there and systematically dominate Ferguson for nearly five full rounds, it was absolutely incredible to watch.
Dana White reveals plans for bantamweight division following Henry Cejudo retirement
Adam D Martin - May 10, 2020
UFC president Dana White has revealed his plans for the bantamweight division following the sudden retirement of champion Henry Cejudo. “Triple C” announced his retirement in shocking fashion just moments after knocking out Dominick Cruz in the co-main event of UFC 249. It was another massive win on the resume of Cejudo, who has now defeated the likes of Cruz, Demetrious Johnson, and TJ Dillashaw. So when he announced his retirement right after the fight, it came as a shock to everyone watching, though White says Cejudo had recently told the UFC he was thinking about it.
Dominick Cruz claims UFC 249 referee Keith Peterson smelt like “alcohol and cigarettes” in the cage
Adam D Martin - May 10, 2020
UFC bantamweight contender Dominick Cruz accused referee Keith Peterson of smelling like “alcohol and cigarettes” in the UFC 249 co-main event. Cruz suffered a second-round TKO loss to Henry Cejudo in a failed bid to re-capture the UFC bantamweight title. The finish was not without controversy as many felt Peterson stopped the fight too soon after Cejudo dropped Cruz with a knee and then swarmed him with punches. Some believe the referee made a good call in stopping the fight when he did, but others including Cruz himself believe it was a bad call.
Dominick Cruz reacts following TKO loss to Henry Cejudo at UFC 249
Harry Kettle - May 9, 2020
Dominick Cruz has reacted to his TKO defeat at the hands of Henry Cejudo in their UFC Bantamweight Championship showdown at UFC 249. The fight was stopped at the end of the second round following a decisive performance from “Triple C”, who wound up retiring from mixed martial arts in the immediate aftermath of his win.
Tony Ferguson reacts following TKO loss to Justin Gaethje at UFC 249
Christopher Taylor - May 9, 2020
Tony Ferguson had his twelve-fight win streak snapped by Justin Gaethje in the headliner of tonight’s UFC 249 event in Florida. ‘El Cucuy’ was returning to action for the first time since UFC 238 in June of 2019, where he had defeated Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrrone by way of TKO.
Pros react to Justin Gaethje defeating Tony Ferguson at UFC 249
Chris Taylor - May 9, 2020
Tony Ferguson squared off with Justin Gaethje for the promotions interim lightweight title in the headliner of tonight’s UFC 249 event. Ferguson was initially slated to compete against reigning UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov last month. However, due to the Covid-19 outbreak, ‘The Eagle‘ was grounded in Russia forcing the promotion to seek out the services of Gaethje.