Tony Ferguson was beaten by Justin Gaethje in an interim lightweight title clash on Saturday night in UFC 249.
Gaethje stunned Ferguson with a clinical performance in Florida to take the title.
Gaethje started like a train and rarely eased off as he dominated the No.1 ranked challenger in the 155lb division.
In snapping Ferguson’s 12-fight winning streak with a final-round finish, Gaethje also earned a shot at lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.
In the co-main event, Henry Cejudo stopped Dominick Cruz in the second round to retain his bantamweight title – then promptly retired.Cejduo dropped former champion Cruz with a vicious knee before pouncing to finish the fight.
He then announced he was walking away from the sport having previously been the strawweight champion.Cruz, meanwhile, who was returning from a 40-month absence, complained the stoppage was premature.
Ferguson spoke after his defeat, describing the winner as a tough opponent.
“It’s been a long f****** camp, when Khabib fell through Justin was the only one who signed on the dotted line,” he said.
“He was a tough son of a bitch, I’d rather have been finished rather than have someone step in.
“Let’s go back and get the consolation round, get the win back, I have to earn it,” he said.
Gaethje also spoke about his performance and victory.
“I knew I was a killer stepping in here, I’m good.
“This is hard work, I’ve worked since I was four years old, it’s each day at a time for me, I never look past one day and you just have to be better than yesterday.
“I have a world-class coach, I had to lose to change, you cant fix what’s not broken.
“I was getting hit too much and I was having too much fun. When I lost I got complacent because I was having too much fun.
“Khabib is the best in the world, I’ve been working since I was four for challenges like this and I can’t wait to represent America against Dagestan,” he said.
