Tony Ferguson defeated Rafael dos Anjos by unanimous decision in the main evnet of UFC Fight Night 98 this evening after a hard fought 25 minutes of action in front of an appreciative Mexican crowd.
Round One:
The main event of the evening is underway. Ferguson with a nice right hook. Now a leg kick and one in return from Dos Anjos.
Another hard leg kick for RDA. Body kick for Ferguson. Leg kick for Dos Anjos and a left hand, while Ferguson counters with punches of his own.
First hint at a takedown attempt from RDA then back to the leg kick. Very nice straight left from RDA snaps Ferguson’s head back.
Leg kick for Ferguson and then both men just miss with punches. Elbow connects for Ferguson. Uppercut from Ferguson and then a right hand lands for Dos Anjos.
Body kick for Ferguson. Straight left for RDA again snaps his opponent’s head back. RDA with a powerful leg kick that knocks Ferguson off his feet.
RDA gets on top with Ferguson applying butterfly hooks. Ferguson throwing his legs up and then is able to find space to stand up.
Ferguson working the jab. left hand for RDA then the leg kick. Those will add up quickly. Ferguson with a low kick kick of his own.
Jab for Ferguson. Spinning backfist for RDA after Ferguson had attempted one of his own not long before. RDA dictating the pace so far.
Round Two:
Nice uppercut for Ferguson and he follows up with more punches. Hard right hand for Ferguson now. He lands a kick then back to the right hand. Good shots for him.
RDA lands a hard counter now. Ferguson with a body kick and a body punch. RDA claims he was poked in the eye. The ref didn’t see it. After some hesitation a stoppage is called and a replay confirms he was caught in the eye.
It doesn’t take long before they get back to it though. Crisp combination of punches for Ferguson and a counter from RDA. Ferguson much more active this round and he’s drawn some blood on the former champion’s face.
Low leg kick for Ferguson. And again. Now it’s RDA who goes back to the leg kick. Ferguson returns with the same. Jab for Ferguson. RDA not pressuring this round.
Left hand for RDA. Exchange of short jabs. Left again for Dos Anjos. Hard punch for RDA, but then Ferguson returns fire with a 1-2 combo that seemed to rock the champion a bit, though he recovers well.
Superman punch for Ferguson. Now doubling up on the jab. Low kick kicks as Dos Anjos targets the body with a kick. Left and a right connects solidly for Ferguson to end the round. Much better round for him that’s shifted the momentum of the fight.
Round Three:
Straight left for Ferguson. He charges forward with a series of left and right hands. It looked like they were going to go to ground for a moment, but they stay on the feet instead.
Ferguson with two spinning backfists, a fist and then an elbow. He’s in the zone right now. Low kick for Ferguson. Head kick for RDA, but Ferguson takes it and then marches forward with his own offense.
Right and a left for Ferguson and then a body punch. Left gets through from RDA. Nice counter left for Dos Anjos. He connects again as he starts to work his way back into the fight. Now a leg kick for him.
Ferguson with a leg kick. Clubbing left hook for RDA. Big punch punch for him and then a straight left. Leg kicks for Ferguson.
Body kick for the former champ. Right hook, but the left behind it misses. Ferguson works to the body. Uppercut from RDA misses.
RDA landing the jab as he backs away from Ferguson’s attack. Leg kick and a right hand for RDA, then a superman punch. Spinning backfist to end the round strongly. Good fight so far!
Round Four:
Ferguson leaps in with a snapping punch. Heavy body kick from RDA. Leg kick for Ferguson. Right hand for Ferguson. Left for RDA.
Big knee upstairs from Ferguson. Left hook for him. Low kick and heavier one in return from Dos Anjos. Ferguson rolls into a takedown attempt that doesn’t pay off.
Low kick for Ferguson. He now works in a few right hands. Jab for RDA. Kick for Dos Anjos. Ferguson back on the offensive. RDA finds his opponent’s chin with a punch.
Ferguson with a knee to the body. RDA witha body kick. RDA tries to get in for a takedown, but is shrugged aside.
Low kick for Ferguson. Body kick for Dos Anjos. Strikes in return from Ferguson. Almost a slow motion spin from Ferguson then body work. Counter from Dos Anjos.
Left hand snaps RDA’s head back. Body kick for RDA. Ferguson slides into a takedown attempt, but there’s nothing doing. He’s just having fun out there and comes back up with more strikes to finish the round.
Round Five:
Final round then after a hard-hitting fight so far. Leg kick for Ferguson. Body kick for RDA. Ferguson steps into an elbow attempt.
Left hook lands for Dos Anjos. Now a leg kick. Another leg kick. Uppercut from Ferguson. Left lands for the former champ.
Jab for Ferguson now. He lands to the body then one upstairs. Leg kick for Dos Anjos. Right hand connects for Ferguson. Three-piece combo from him and a counter from the Brazilian.
RDA’s right eye has been slightly bloodied for much of the fight, but it’s now flowing much more freely. Big right hand from Ferguson. Short jab.
Ferguson tries a head kick that’s blocked. Almost a minute to go. Ferguson with a combo and the uppercut really finds the mark in there.
Body kick for Dos Anjos. Leg kicks for Ferguson. Nice right hand from Ferguson. One final body kick from RDA and the fight heads to the judges for a decision.
Decision:
A hard fought encounter then, but despite losing the pressure game in the first round, it was Ferguson who would end up leading the dance for the rest of the fight, and he rightly emerges with a unanimous decision victory (48-47 x3).
