Tony Ferguson's 5 best UFC fights
Since he arrived in the UFC by winning the 13th season of The Ultimate Fighter back in 2011, Tony Ferguson has been all business. ‘El Cucuy’ has cut a path of destruction through the Lightweight division, and his UFC record currently sits at an impressive 13-1, including a current 10-fight win streak.
Ferguson was last seen in action last October – he defeated Kevin Lee for the Interim UFC Lightweight title, but an injury prevented him for fighting Khabib Nurmagomedov for the full title at UFC 223 and he’s since been stripped of the interim belt. UFC 229 sees him back in action against former champ Anthony Pettis, though, and a win should see him in line to fight the Nurmagomedov/McGregor winner.
With ‘El Cucuy’s return almost upon us, here’s a look at his 5 best UFC fights to date.
#1 vs. Ramsey Nijem – UFC: Ultimate Fighter XIII Finale – 04/06/2011
Given the events of the season went down some seven years ago, it’s easy to forget that Ferguson came into the UFC as a very unpopular man.
Entering into TUF 13 as a Welterweight, Ferguson ran through three opponents on the show to make the finals – but also got into a very personal argument with fellow Team Lesnar fighter Charlie Rader, to the point where the whole cast turned against him.
Essentially, everyone from the show – as well as all of the fans watching – were pulling for Ramsey Nijem – who’d also finished three fighters on the show – to defeat ‘El Cucuy’. For fans less invested in the TUF drama though, this was a tremendous-sounding final match between two young, undefeated and massively talented prospects.
In the end, the fight was stunningly one-sided. Ramsey came out aggressively with his striking, but couldn’t catch the more seasoned Ferguson, and where ‘Stripper Ramsey’ had been able to outgrapple all of his opponents during TUF, he was unable to get Ferguson to the ground.
Eventually, as the first round was about to enter its final minute, ‘El Cucuy’ caught Ramsey with a vicious left hand that turned out his lights instantly, making Ferguson the latest Ultimate Fighter champion.
It was a flash of Ferguson’s massive potential – and more affirmation that he’d be a ruthless finisher in the UFC proper as well as on TUF. In other words, it was a tremendously eye-opening debut.