Justin Gaethje is the new UFC interim lightweight champion.
"The Highlight" stopped Tony Ferguson via TKO at 3:39 of the fifth round in the UFC 249 main event on Saturday night in Jacksonville.
Gaethje put on a masterclass performance over the course of five rounds. He picked "El Cucuy" apart with his bullet of a left hook, fierce leg kicks, and several other weapons.
Ferguson, whose 12-fight winning streak came to an end, did have his moments in the contest. He stunned Gaethje with an uppercut at the end of the second round, but the 36-year-old didn't have time to attempt to put the fight away.
Gaethje stayed calm and composed throughout, consistently attacking Ferguson at the right openings. By the championship rounds, the 31-year-old was dominating the matchup. Gaethje did the most damage in the final frame, turning his opponent's face into mush.
Referee Herb Dean's halt to the bout was more of a mercy stoppage for Ferguson, who was simply trying to survive at the end of the fifth round. Gaethje landed a few shots that sealed the deal and crowned him the interim 155-pound champ.
With the victory, Gaethje is expected to fight lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov later in 2020.
"I've been working since I was four for challenges like this," Gaethje said in his postfight interview. "I'm happy to represent the United States of America against Dagestan, Russia's best. He's 28-0, and there's no other challenge I want right now. I want to fight him."
Ferguson hadn't lost since 2012 prior to the fight.
