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UFC lightweight Tony Ferguson didn’t win the interim 155-pound title belt for the second time in his impressive career on Saturday night in the main event at UFC 249 as he expected.
Instead, the 36-year-old was soundly whipped by rising star Justin Gaethje in a one-sided beatdown that almost no one saw coming. Gaethje stopped Ferguson in the fifth round, ending the fighter’s 12-fight winning streak as well as any hope the fighter had to get next crack at divisional champ Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Per Yahoo’s Kevin Iole, Ferguson suffered a broken orbital bone during the stunning loss.
Per @danawhite, @TonyFergusonXT suffered an orbital fracture in his loss to @Justin_Gaethje at #UFC249
But Ferguson isn’t the type to let a massive loss keep him down for long. Heck, Ferguson isn’t the type of guy that will let a cracked skull do it, either.
In fact, the fighter was all smiles in a video posted to Instagram showing Ferguson dancing around his hospital room in joy because he was about to be released.
You can watch that video below.
Ferguson’s previous post was also one of him beaming with joy, broken orbital bone and all, next to his wife, Cristina Servin, who Ferguson has been married to since 2012.
So while Ferguson just suffered a huge loss, one that might end up keeping the stalwart UFC legend from ever getting his shot at the UFC’s top prize, he seems to be handling it well.
UFC Fighters Responded to Ferguson’s Stunning Upset
That’s not how things appeared immediately after the fight was over.
Ferguson was clearly quite disappointed in how things turned out after Gaethje defeated him on Saturday night at Vystar Veterans Memorial Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida. Af first, the fighter even refused to shake Gaethje’s hand to congratulate him. But Ferguson did end up embracing Gaethje soon enough.
Other UFC fighters responded on social media to Ferguson’s beating. Current UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya tweeted, “I called a KO…but f*** the man can take a beating.” Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir tweeted, “I don’t know what Tony Ferguson’s chin is made of but I’m pretty sure the cure and vaccine for the Corona Virus is in there.” A Former UFC lightweight champion and a man who has a victory over Gaethje, Eddie Alvarez, tweeted, “Styles truly make match ups … Thank you to Justin and Tony for an incredible fight.”
Bellator fighter and Conor McGregor’s training partner Dillon Danis posted, “respect to Tony Ferguson a true samurai he will be back stronger than ever.”
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Tony Ferguson Dances in Hospital With Broken Skull [WATCH]