Tony Ferguson came into this fight with an 8 fight win streak, hungry for a shot at the belt.
RDA entered the Octagon coming off of a loss to Eddie Alvarez in which he lost his belt.
This fight was a huge test for Ferguson to see if he’s someone who can compete at the highest level of his division. He has fought some tough fighters, but RDA’s recent resume with wins over Benson Henderson, Nate Diaz, Pettis, and Cerrone has been a series of much tougher outings, at least on paper. Tony wanted to prove himself as a member of the elite in his weightclass, RDA wanted to end the streak and get himself back in the title conversation.
With McGregor fighting Alvarez for the belt next week, both of these fighters know they’re potentially very close to the biggest money fights of their careers. Everyone wants the McGregor fight, and winning tonight is a good step in that direction. RDA was close to fighting Conor when he was still champ, but got injured which resulted in the McGregor/Diaz series (And the 145 championship being put on hold.)
Tonight, it was Tony Ferguson who was able to push through and claim the W.
There was no love lost at the end of the second round, when Tony blew his opponent a kiss at the end of the round. Ferguson really started to loosen up in the second round, he found his distance and timing and was fighting very loose. Tony gets a lot of heat from fans for not being the most likeable guy, but he had a moment where he could have swamned RDA after the Herb Dean didn’t notice an eyepoke, but instead he took the classy route instead.
Ferguson was able to really open up at the start of the 3rd round, and RDA had some answers of his own. Both of these guys are tough to put away.
Both fighters showed off their chins, their toughness, and resilience in a solid main event fight. At the end of the day, Ferguson’s crafiness and unpredictability weren’t enough to put RDA, so it went to the judges.
All three judges scored it 28-27.
Tony Ferguson has earned his spot at the top of the division, and it’s hard to argue against him getting a shot at the belt very, very soon.
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