Gaethje upsets Ferguson to win UFC
interim lightweight title
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[May 11, 2020]
By Philip O'Connor
(Reuters) - Justin Gaethje put on a
striking masterclass to score a surprise knockout victory over Tony
Ferguson and win the interim lightweight title at UFC 249, which
took place at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville,
Florida on Saturday.
Ferguson, who came into the fight on a 12-win streak, suffered
damage as Gaethje chopped at his legs and landed thunderous hooks
before referee Herb Dean stepped in to end the fight late in the
fifth round.
With over 80,000 deaths in the United States due to COVID-19, the
UFC has come under fire for putting on the event, which took place
with no fans in the stands and with stringent health and safety
protocols in place.
Despite the absence of a crowd, the fights themselves lacked nothing
in intensity, with Francis Ngannou scoring the knockout of the
night, blitzing Jairzinho Rozenstruik with a left hook to force a
stoppage after just 20 seconds of the first round.
Sam Alvey was the first fighter into the empty arena on the night,
pointing and high-fiving the imaginary crowd as he made his way to
the cage where he fell to a decision loss to Ryan Spann in the
evening's opening fight on the prelim card.
Apart from the fighters, the referees and the commentators, event
staff wore face masks and only one corner-man per fighter was
allowed into the cage in the breaks between rounds.
"It was funny, I could hear a lot. Everybody out there I could hear
really clearly, but at the same time ... it wasn't much different
than if the crowd were there," Vicente Luque told reporters
following his stoppage win over Niko Price.
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Tony Ferguson (red gloves) fights Justin Gaethje (blue gloves)
during UFC 249 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. Mandatory Credit:
Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Such was the silence that Luque was able to hear the commentators,
and heavyweight Greg Hardy said he was able to take the advice of TV
commentator Daniel Cormier to counter Yorgan De Castro's leg kicks
en route to a decision victory.
In the co-main event, Henry Cejudo retained his bantamweight belt
with a second-round stoppage win over Dominick Cruz before
immediately retiring in the octagon. The 33-year-old, who won a gold
medal for wrestling at the 2008 Olympics, has said he was happy with
his career and that he wanted to start a family.
Returning after a long layoff, former champ Cruz was dropped with a
knee to the head and suffered the first knockout of his career with
just two seconds left in the second round.
However, the biggest prize of the night went to Gaethje, who is now
next in line to face Khabib Nurmagomedov for the undisputed
lightweight crown.
"I'll wait for the real one," Gaethje said as he tossed the interim
belt aside moments after it was put around his waist.
(Reporting by Philip O'Connor)
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