UFC Mexico Results: Tony Ferguson Picks Up Big Win Over RDA
UFC Mexico came to a close after Tony Ferguson defeated Rafael dos Anjos by unanimous decision with all three judges scoring the match 48-47.
Prior to defeating dos Anjos, Ferguson won 14 of his last 15 fights, which includes an 11-1 UFC record. With a win over dos Anjos gives Ferguson the biggest victory of his career.
Dos Anjos’ most recent fight was a loss to Eddie Alvarez in early July, where he dropped the UFC lightweight title after winning it from Anthony Pettis and successfully defending it against Donald Cerrone. He had a five-fight win streak before suffering back-to-back losses to Alvarez and just now to Ferguson.
The first round featured a low-key, back and forth exchange. Dos Anjos caught Ferguson when he slipped and looked to capitalize with a finish, but it never came to fruition as Ferguson shortly got back on his feet. Nonetheless, dos Anjos appeared to have won the round, but struggled the rest of the contest.
Ferguson responded with aggression to start the second round, busting dos Anjos open after a couple shots to the face. Both fighters continued to trade shots, but it was Ferguson who had a key left hook that rocked dos Anjos late in the round. Dos Anjos managed to reach the end of the round and take the fight to the third round.
The third round started off with Ferguson peppering dos Anjos and pushing him back. Dos Anjos came up with a knockdown and tried to jump on top of Ferguson, but slipped and was unable to contain him, allowing both fighters to get back up. Ferguson showed off his speed in this round as he moved forward more. At the same time, dos Anjos rallied in the later half of the round with some key hits, including a spinning back fist before the horn.
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Ferguson continued to impress in this fight. This time in the fourth round, he landed a knee to dos Anjos’ face. The round picked up in the final minute when Ferguson sprayed dos Anjos with some big shots to the head, including a nice combination of punches right before the horn.
The final round featured more aggressiveness from Ferguson, who took risks by marching forward more often in attempt to come up with a finish. There was little urgency from dos Anjos, allowing Ferguson to pick up the huge win via decision.
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It is hard to outline Ferguson’s future and when he would get a shot at the lightweight title. UFC 205 will feature a lot of top-notch lightweights, which could force the UFC front office to make a difficult decision when it comes to who gets an opportunity for the title next.
Alvarez and Conor McGregor will fight next week in the highly anticipated main event. Khabib Nurmagomedov and Michael Johnson will also square off in the prelims for the same event next week. It is also worth noting that Nate Diaz’s name may be in consideration, despite coming off a loss, as he has become a big name after a pair of bouts against McGregor.
What we know is that Ferguson, who improved to 22-3, has built a case and has a reason to demand a title shot. If Nurmagomedov falls to Johnson, it would make Ferguson the more worthy No. 1 contender for the title.
As for dos Anjos, he is currently riding a two-fight losing streak. The former and most recent lightweight champion has suffered a setback and needs to string together some wins in order to enter the title picture.
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