Justin Gaethje Stops Tony Ferguson, Claims Interim Lightweight Crown in UFC 249 Headliner

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Moments after dispatching Tony Ferguson in the UFC 249 headliner, Justin Gaethje chucked his newly-won interim lightweight crown aside. The meaning of the gesture wasn’t difficult to decipher.

“I’m waiting for the real one,” he said.

Gaethje may have put the final nail in the coffin for any hopes of seeing the long-awaited Ferguson-Khabib Nurmagomedov showdown at the empty VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida, on Saturday night, but he did so in the most honest way possible. Utilizing vicious punching power and a steady barrage of debilitating leg kicks, Gaethje gradually wore down Ferguson en route to a technical knockout stoppage 3:39 into the fifth round of their lightweight clash.

A final left jab from Gaethje (22-2, 5-2 UFC) landed flush in the final frame, forcing Ferguson to take a step back and shake his head in hopes of regaining his faculties. After watching Ferguson (25-4, 15-2 UFC) get knocked all over the Octagon for the duration of that frame and much of the bout overall, Herb Dean had seen enough, and he stepped in to save “El Cucuy” from any further damage. With that, Ferguson’s 12-fight winning streak, which began in October 2013, had reached its end.

“This is hard work. I’ve worked since I was four years old. It’s each day at a time for me…and you just have to be better than yesterday. That’s all it is,” Gaethje said.

The victory presumably sets up a title unification bout with Nurmagomedov, who was supposed to face Ferguson before being stranded in Russia due to the coronavirus pandemic. Prior to the stoppage, Gaethje arguably won every round against an opponent who had been dominant against all opposition for years. Ferguson’s best moment came late in Round 2, when he wobbled Gaethje with an uppercut just before the horn. For much of the rest of the time, it was Ferguson’s granite chin that kept him afloat, even as Gaethje put him on wobbly legs on multiple occasions.

Justin’s a tough son of a bitch, I’ll be real,” Ferguson said.

Cejudo Stops Cruz, Announces Retirement

If this truly is the end, Henry Cejudo went out on a high note.

The Olympic gold medalist retained his bantamweight crown with a controversial second-round technical knockout of Dominick Cruz in the evening’s co-main event. The end came 4:58 into Round 2, as Cejudo (16-2, 10-2 UFC) pummeled Cruz (22-3, 5-2 UFC) with about 11-12 unanswered blows. After the victory, Cejudo said he is walking away from the UFC on top.

“I’m retiring tonight,” Cejudo said. “I’m 33 years old. I’m happy with my career. ‘Triple C’ is out. You guys don’t have to hear my ass no more.”

The stoppage was a point of contention. Cejudo caught Cruz ducking his head and floored him with a knee, but “The Dominator” was returning to his feet during the ensuing barrage when referee Keith Peterson intervened on his behalf.

“I’m not happy with the stoppage, obviously, because I asked the ref to let me go until I was out,” Cruz said. “If I was on the floor I get it, but I was working my way up.

“I was definitely still aware of what was going on. I get that there were unanswered shots, that’s part of the fight. Hat’s off to Henry, I shouldn’t have got caught where I got caught and that’s how I ended up in that position.”

Cejudo began the fight by chopping away at Cruz with a steady diet of low kicks. It wasn’t until midway through the second stanza that Cruz began to find a rhythm with some of his punching combinations. Unfortunately for him, his night ended shortly thereafter.

“I’m ruthless. I may be cringy, corny, but boy can I fight,” Cejudo said. “I am the greatest combat sports athlete of all time. Nobody has my resume.”

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Ngannou Obliterates Rozenstruik

Francis Ngannou was able to solidify himself as the next heavyweight No. 1 contender and the most feared knockout artist in the sport in one fell swoop.

The Nigerian-born Frenchman wasted little time with previously unbeaten Jairzinho Rozentruik, wiping out his opponent in a mere 20 seconds in their heavyweight showdown. That makes four consecutive KO/TKO victories for Ngannou in UFC competition — none lasting longer 71 seconds. The only thing missing on Saturday night was the deafening roar that would have come with such a finish inside a packed arena. Instead, it was left to the soft-spoken Ngannou to put things in perspective.

“When I heard he called me out, I knew that he didn’t know what he’s doing,” Ngannou said of Rozenstruik. “He’s not ready. He has a lot of potential, but I think he has to take a step back and get ready before fighting against somebody like me.”

Rozenstruik (10-1, 4-1 UFC) managed to fire off a couple leg kicks before Ngannou (15-3, 10-2 UFC) launched an all-out assault, rushing forward and winging power punches at the head of his Suriname-born opponent. A left hook from “The Predator” landed flush, and it was academic from there as Ngannou punctuated his victory with a couple more blows as Rozenstruik crumpled to the floor.

Kattar Elbows Batter Stephens

Calvin Kattar didn’t necessarily have the best start against Jeremy Stephens, but it’s how he finished that will leave a lasting impression.

Kattar (20-5, 5-2 UFC) floored Stephens (28-18-1, 15-17 UFC) with a right elbow to the chin during an exchange in the second frame before diving in for the finish. One right hand and two slashing elbows later, referee Jason Herzog was pulling “The Boston Finisher” off of Stephens, who struggled to get to his feet while gushing blood from his forehead onto the center of the Octagon. The official time of the stoppage was 2:42 into Round 2.

“I gotta be honest, I was a little upset he showed up five pounds overweight,” Kattar said. “I don’t really like that sh-t, but the motherfu--er knows how to fight.”

Stephens, who tipped the scales at 150.5 pounds on Friday, set the tone early, pressuring Kattar while blending punching combinations with whipping low kicks. While Kattar showed his impressive boxing in flashes, it wasn’t until the finishing sequence that he truly put his stamp on the fight.

“I’ve been learning as I’ve been going, and I’ve been learning with tough fights,” Kattar said. “I feel like I’m just scratching the surface.”

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Hardy Outpoints De Castro

Greg Hardy shook off a battered lead leg to outpoint Yorgan De Castro in a largely uneventful heavyweight clash to open the evening’s main card. Hardy, who set a heavyweight record with five Octagon appearances in 2019, swept the scorecards by a trio of 30-27 tallies.

De Castro (6-1, 1-1 UFC) came out with a purpose in the opening stanza, as he fired power punches — connecting with several solid right hands — against his taller opponent. When he wasn’t swinging for the fences, the Cape Verde native was battering Hardy’s lead leg with a barrage of low kicks.

Momentum shifted over the final 10 minutes. De Castro’s offense slowed to a virtual standstill after suffering what appeared to be a foot injury when Hardy (6-2, 1 NC, 3-2, 1 NC UFC) checked one of his kicks in Round 2. Meanwhile, the former NFL Pro Bowler was the more active competitor down the stretch, and he even turned the tables by landing some solid leg kicks of his own on de Castro.

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