It took Tony Ferguson the better part of 2017, but he finally won himself the UFC interim lightweight title. That opportunity was snatched away from him back in March when his opponent Khabib Nurmagomedov fell out of UFC 214 the day before the event due to a botched weight cut.
It seemed like history might repeat itself at UFC 216 when Kevin Lee struggled to make weight for their fight, but in the end he came in at 154.5 and the fight was on. Once in the cage, Ferguson forced a tap out of Lee with a triangle in the third round.
Well that escalated quickly ….@TonyFergusonXT #UFC216 pic.twitter.com/B5zJBv4dOV
— UFC (@ufc) October 8, 2017
Afterwards, Ferguson had a simple and profane message for lightweight champ Conor McGregor.
“Where you at McNuggets?” he yelled into the mic. “You f**king piece of s**t. I’m gonna kick your ass! Defend or vacate, motherf**ker!”
. @TonyFergusonXT is the first ever lightweight @ufc interim champ. Experience was the difference here. #UFC216
— Kenny Florian (@kennyflorian) October 8, 2017
I don't care which "belt" is the "official" or "interim". No one in the UFC right now has done more at 155 than Tony Ferguson. Real king.
— RJ Clifford (@RJcliffordMMA) October 8, 2017
The first round between Ferguson and Lee was a back and forth affair with Ferguson dancing around the cage loose and darting in for attacks while Lee returned fire with fast and accurate shots that landed flush multiple times. As Lee started to take over the stand up, Ferguson took the fight to the ground and used some slick looking 10th Planet BJJ to lock Lee up. But Lee worked his way out of the position and eventually got to mount, ending the round raining down blows on his opponent.
Round two saw more of the same on the feet with Ferguson trying to fight long and Lee counter striking effectively. Things were pretty even between the two fighters, but near the end of the round Ferguson started to see more success as Lee began to slow down. A red bump on Lee’s chest had the commentators questioning whether he was suffering from a staph infection, which would undoubtedly sap his cardio (as if the brutal weight cut on Friday wasn’t bad enough).
.@TonyFergusonXT's 10-fight UFC winning streak is longest in lightweight division history #UFC216
— Mike Bohn (@MikeBohn) October 8, 2017
Lee kicked off round three with a bang, picking up Ferguson and slamming him to the canvas. But after briefly getting back to their feet and ending back on the ground, Tony Ferguson locked up a near armbar and then a triangle soon after to force a tap out of Kevin Lee at 4 minutes of round 3.
While Lee lost, he put on a game performance and looked like he had Ferguson seriously hurt at the start and finish of the first round. Not bad considering many questioned why the #7 ranked Lee was being given a shot, with the honest truth being because the six guys above him weren’t available. But he’s shown himself to be someone who’s more than capable of taking advantage of the opportunities thrown his way, and we’re looking forward to seeing more of him at the top of the ultra-competitive lightweight division.
