The Five Greatest Wins of Tony Ferguson's career
Tony Ferguson hopes to bounce back from the first-ever knockout loss of his career by taking on UFC welterweight staple Li Jingliang at UFC 279 this Saturday. While 'El Cucuy' infamously suffered a TKO loss against former UFC interim lightweight champion Justin Gaethje, he was not unconscious. Instead, Herb Dean stepped in to wave the fight off after Ferguson sustained 5 rounds of brutal punishment.
His loss to Michael Chandler at UFC 274 saw Ferguson knocked out cold for the very first time in the public eye. Concerns about Ferguson's health arose the moment his upcoming bout with Jingliang was announced, least of all due to the little time 'El Cucuy' spent recovering from the knockout loss as well as how powerful 'The Leech' is as a striker. Thus, fears that Tony Ferguson might be in store for another knockout loss as he makes his welterweight return.
However, there was a time when such concerns were unthinkable. In fact, there was a time when Tony Ferguson seemed all but unbeatable. His 12-fight win streak in the UFC lightweight division is etched in the storybook of MMA legends. In honor of Ferguson's Hall of Fame-worthy career, this list looks at 5 of his greatest wins in the UFC.
#5. Tony Ferguson vs. Edson Barboza, TUF 22 Finale
At one point, Edson Barboza was an undefeated Muay Thai specialist with some of the most vicious kicks in all of MMA. The Brazilian entered the UFC with a tremendous amount of hype due to his previous unbeaten run, kickboxing record, lightning-fast kicks and monstrous knockout power. Barbosa is also responsible for the first spinning wheel kick knockout ever seen in the promotion, and is one of the most explosive fighters in UFC history.
Tony Ferguson overwhelmed Edson Barboza to earn his third darce choke win back in 2015 👊
'El Cucuy' is unleashed once again at #UFC229! https://t.co/1puVwI1Kjt
In TUF 22 Finale, the surging Tony Ferguson locked horns with Barboza in a 3-round bout. Barboza fought valiantly, intent on sparking a new win streak after besting Paul Felder earlier that year. Alas, 'El Cucuy' wasted no time in depriving him of the space needed to throw his patented kicks, overwhelming him en route to a 2nd round win via D'Arce choke.