On this day in 2020, Justin Gaethje produced arguably his most impressive display inside the Octagon to date.
‘The Highlight’ was immediately one of the most exciting fighters on the roster from the moment that he first stepped inside the Octagon.
Following several losses, he reintroduced himself with three consecutive first-round knockout wins to prove that he was far more than just an entertaining brawler.
After Gaethje stopped Donald Cerrone in September of 2019, his next fight would be for the interim title, though that version of the gold clearly didn’t matter to him at that time.
He’s still yet to hold the undisputed lightweight title but that is sure to be a huge source of motivation as Gaethje approaches retirement.
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Justin Gaethje pulverized Tony Ferguson before rejecting the interim title at UFC 249
At UFC 249, Justin Gaethje proved once and for all that he was one of the best lightweights in the world when he faced off with Tony Ferguson.
May 9 saw the promotion return from a long hiatus that was caused by the pandemic for an event behind closed doors where it felt like the world was watching.
The original main event would have finally seen Khabib Nurmagomedov face Ferguson in a lightweight title unification bout but it was ultimately cancelled for a fifth time.
Instead, Gaethje stepped in to challenge ‘El Cucuy’ for the interim title, as he tried to break the 12-fight win streak that had turned Ferguson into the lightweight division’s bogeyman.
Fighters that stepped inside the Octagon with the interim champion tended to look like they’d been in a high-speed collision by the time they exited but at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena, it was the other way round.
Aside from a huge uppercut that Gaethje somehow survived, the fight was one-way traffic as ‘The Highlight’ hit his opponent with the kitchen sink, to the point where it became a tough watch at points.
In a superhuman display of toughness, Ferguson wouldn’t go away, but ultimately, he was too durable for his own good and the referee finally waved the fight off in the fifth.
Dana White wrapped the interim title around Gaethje’s waist but he quickly disregarded it by throwing it down onto the floor.
He simply told Joe Rogan in his post-fight interview that he would rather “wait for the real one”.
Gaethje would go on to face Nurmagomedov in the main event of UFC 254 where ‘The Eagle’ would retire after submitting his challenger in the second round.
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Tony Ferguson was never the same after the beating he took at UFC 249
Before his loss to Justin Gaethje, Tony Ferguson was an absolute monster at 155 pounds with a diverse arsenal of attacks, a seemingly endless gas tank and insane durability.
This fight ended up changing his career entirely after he suffered his most devastating loss that broke one of the UFC’s greatest win streaks.
His form then turned into a historic losing streak as he became the first fighter to lose 8 UFC bouts in a row before parting ways with the promotion earlier this year.
Fans expected a war at UFC 249 but what they got instead was a changing of the guard by force.