What mattered most at UFC 249 in Jacksonville, Fla.? Here are a few post-fight musings …
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1. Justin Gaethje shows up
We already knew Justin Gaethje was a gamer and one of the most relentless athletes in the sport. Even for his most loyal of supporters, though, his performance against Tony Ferguson was a bit of an eye-opener to what he’s truly capable of.
Gaethje styled on Ferguson for the better part of five rounds before picking up a late stoppage to claim the interim UFC lightweight title. It was a truly sensational effort, especially considering Gaethje only had about five weeks total to prepare for it.
A near-perfect strategy allowed Gaethje to snap Ferguson’s 12-fight winning streak and take the unification bout with Khabib Nurmagomedov out from under him. Gaethje certainly deserves it, too, because few give so much of themselves every time they step in the octagon.
Gaethje earned his chance to challenge Nurmagomedov by coming to UFC 249 with his A game. If he can do that again and halt the iconic 28-0 record of “The Eagle,” he would have a case for the best two-win stretch in history.
2. Devastation for Tony Ferguson
As much praise as Gaethje deserves for showing up like he did, it’s hard not to feel bad for Tony Ferguson in this situation. He’s the one who had everything to lose, and the worst-case scenario is now his reality.
Ferguson’s seven-year, 12-fight winning streak came to an abrupt end in a bout in which he cold never really get going outside of a few moments. The immediate narrative around his loss is that the anticipated matchup with Nurmagomedov could forever be lost, and that’s a real possibility.
At 36 and with a somewhat frightening amount of damage absorbed over his career (including an orbital bone fracture against Gaethje), the best of Ferguson might be behind us. It’s possible he had an off night, or Gaethje is just that damn good, but Ferguson now finds himself in a tough predicament.
The next fight will answer a lot of questions about Ferguson. It’s possible he can get a big win or two and reclaim his top contender status, but as of now one of the great tragedies in UFC history could be unfolding before us with Ferguson never fighting for an undisputed belt despite putting together one of the longest winning streaks the company has ever seen.
3. Farewell to ‘Triple C’ … maybe
Henry Cejudo put on a brilliant performance to stop Dominick Cruz by second-round TKO and defend his bantamweight title, but in a matter of moments he overshadowed his effort in the octagon by announcing his retirement from MMA.
As with any MMA retirement, the immediate question was: Will this stick? Cejudo has wanted a better contract for a few fights now and said outright UFC president Dana White “knows the number” and he could be lured back if the UFC adds another 0 to his paycheck. However, he didn’t express major confidence that will happen.
If that’s the case, Cejudo appears content with his choice. He’s been an athlete since he was a young boy and has given countless hours of his life to train to be an Olympic gold medalist in wrestling then subsequently a UFC champion in two weight classes. If he wants to pull the plug on being an active competitor, then that’s absolutely fair.
The big shame, however, is that Cejudo was seemingly just coming into prime form. His fight-over-fight development in recent years has been nothing short of outstanding, and it’s unfortunate to see him leave when there’s obviously still so much potential there.
Cejudo said he’s making the best choice for him, though. If he wants to focus on other projects such as working in real estate and starting a family, then we wish him the best and are thankful for the role he filled in this sport, whether you liked the cringe or not.
4. Dominick Cruz disappoints
It seems Dominick Cruz did not earn himself many new fans with his post-fight conduct after losing to Cejudo in a semi-controversial manner.
The performance by Cruz wasn’t what hurt him most. He was facing a ridiculously steep uphill climb fighting Cejudo after the longest layoff of his career, and although it would’ve been nice to see a finish with absolutely no drama, it was hard to envision Cruz winning that fight, anyway.
The big story coming out of the fight was Cruz’s accusations toward referee Keith Peterson. In addition to blaming him for making “100 percent” the wrong call to wave it off when he did, Cruz said Peterson “smelled like alcohol and cigarettes” while he was in the octagon. That’s not something you’d hear out of many fighters.
In the same breath as claiming he wasn’t making excuses, Cruz insinuated Peterson wasn’t in a proper state of mind while officiating. That’s not a claim to throw out there lightheartedly, and Cruz may be forced to present evidence or apologize for his comments.
Time will tell, but Cruz didn’t put himself in the best light with his reaction. He received so much praise for how he handled his loss to Cody Garbrandt in December 2016, and he may have just cost himself a lot of that good will.
5. “Cowboy” in uncharted territory
Donald Cerrone sits on a career-worst skid of four consecutive losses after dropping a close decision in his rematch with Anthony Pettis. It must sting especially much that many, including yours truly, thought he won.
After all the criticism he received in the fallout of the Conor McGregor fight, it was “Cowboy,” not Donald, who turned up against Pettis. He took some massive shots and gave back some even better ones, showing the ferocity that’s expected from Cerrone when he’s on his game.
His efforts weren’t rewarded by the judges, though, and now Cerrone finds his stock arguably lower than any point in the past several years. The next fight is extremely critical, because things could start going down a deep, dark path if his skid hits five.
How will Cerrone respond to these uncharted waters? That’ll be the most compelling storyline going into his next fight, which for all we know could come sooner than later.
