Top lightweight contender Tony Ferguson sustained an orbital injury in the aftermath of his thrilling five-round battle with Justin Gaethje.
On Saturday night, the lightweight pair treated mixed martial arts fans to an instant classic, when they headlined the UFC 249 fight card at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida.
What was expected as walk in the park for Ferguson turned out to be a one-sided affair for the underdog as Gaethje punched his way to a dominant fifth-round technical knockout victory to capture the interim lightweight title.
Ferguson saw his 12-fight winning streak came to a screeching halt and fell short in setting up a unification bout with biggest rival, Khabib Nurmagomedov.
According to stats, Gaethje landed 100 shots to Ferguson’s head out of the 143 significant strikes, which resulted to cuts and swelling on his eyes and face.
Not My Night
Ferguson was rushed to the hospital, following the epic war, and it was later revealed he suffered an eye socket fracture.
“As a result of that back-and-forth battle, Ferguson suffered a broken orbital bone as confirmed to MMA Fighting by sources close to the fighter’s camp. Yahoo Sports initially reported the injury via UFC president Dana White,” Damon Martin of MMA Fighting confirmed.
Despite the loss, Ferguson remains in good spirits as he took to Twitter to reflect on the title fight.
““Bushido Code” Brought Sports Back W/ Class # WayOfTheWarrior Win or Lose Always Act Like A Champion. Just Wasn’t My Night #ufc249 Congrats @justin_gaethje On A Good Fight -CSO- @ufc,” he tweeted.
In the post-fight interview, Ferguson said: “Just a long camp and the weight cut had nothing to do with it.Justin Gaethje is a tough son of a b****. I’ll be real. I prepared for Khabib, not so much of a striker, but shit happens man what can you do? I would have much rather got finished than have somebody stepping in.”
Feeling Great
Meanwhile, the newly-crowned interim lightweight champion, who is likely to unify the belts with Nurmagomedov later this year, said he was very happy with the outcome of the fight as he didn’t have any expectations when he signed the dotted line.
“I haven’t had the time to soak it in, I can’t wait to watch the fight, It was so good tonight. I truly just believed in my skills and in my coaches and what a great time I just had.”
“It was a great challenge and I’m very happy right now, I can’t wait to go home and see my family. I know how much happiness I brought to people and that feels great.”
(Featured Image Source: Twitter/ NedsAu and ESPN MMA)