Tony Ferguson returned to the Octagon on Saturday night intent on snapping a five-fiving losing streak.
‘El Cucuy’ has struggled to get into the win column in recent years, but that hasn’t stopped the former interim lightweight champion from putting his best foot forward and bringing the heat to every man that steps in front of him. That’s exactly what he did in Salt Lake City, stepping up to square off with 155-pound standout ‘King’ Bobby Green as part of the promotion’s stacked UFC 291 main card.
Round 1
Tony Ferguson comes out looking to put the pressure on early, but Green quickly shows him his speed, firing off a series of strikes. Ferguson quickly changes levels and moves in for a single leg. Green retreats to the cage wall and fends off the takedown, forcing Ferguson to separate. Green lands a glancing left as the two men continue to exchange strikes in the center of the Octagon.
Green lands with another right, but it does not deter Ferguson from moving forward. Ferguson eats a 1-2, but Ferguson fires back with a big right hand that puts Green on the ground temporarily. ‘King’ bounces back up, but quickly becomes the victim of an accidental eye poke.
After a 90-second break, Ferguson is ready to get back to it and the fight resumes. Ferguson feigns a takedown and partially absorbs a high kick from Green. ‘King’ lands a heavy body kick as Ferguson begins to lunge in with each strike. 1-2 from Green lands clean, followed by a stiff right jab just before the round comes to an end.
Round 2
Tony Ferguson comes out for the second round and quickly attempts a takedown, but Green sprawls and defends with ease. Ferguson dives in for the leg of Green and accepts the bottom position. Green begins unloading a series of hammer fists and ground-and-pound strikes while Ferguson begins fishing for a submission. Green backs off, appearing to let Ferguson up, but then quickly pounces back on ‘El Cucuy’ to continue his ground attack. Green lands a few solid elbows in the process.
Green gets back to his feet and allows Ferguson up as well. Ferguson continues his pursuit, but Green is the one landing all the strikes. A left jab from Green pops Ferguson’s head back. Ferguson lands a good right hand and Green calls for more just as the bell sounds.
Round 3
Tony Ferguson comes out and is continuing to keep up the same pace while moving forward, but Green is the one landing. Ferguson again lunges in but eats a right from Green for his trouble. Ferguson fires an inside leg kick and Green responds with a jab. Ferguson lands a glancing right hand, followed by a jab. Straight left from Green lands. 1-2 from Green connects. Ferguson begins chopping away at Green’s legs.
Another 1-2 from Green lands, but Ferguson responds with a right hand that gets Green moving. Ferguson throws a spinning back fist that misses by a mile. Ferguson once again initiates the ground game by attempting to roll into a leg lock but ends up on the ground. Green climbs on top and locks in an arm triangle, putting Ferguson to sleep with mere seconds left on the clock.
Official Result: Bobby Green def. Tony Ferguson via submission (arm triangle) at 4:54 of Round 3
Check Out Highlights From Tony Ferguson vs. Bobby Green at UFC 291 Below:
Tony Ferguson landed a big right hand and knocks down Bobby Green in round 1 #UFC291 pic.twitter.com/avTqI51OHw
— InsideFighting (@InsideFighting_) July 30, 2023
BOBBY GREEN SUBMITS TONY FERGUSON! @BobbyKGreen gets the finish with seconds left at #UFC291! pic.twitter.com/HuRLRFYIRH
— UFC (@ufc) July 30, 2023
"Another day at the office"@BobbyKGreen looking for a bonus after that W! #UFC291 pic.twitter.com/sIsCj2Eocq
— UFC (@ufc) July 30, 2023
Beat the buzzer with that sub! 😤 #UFC291 pic.twitter.com/EWiAURuHeg
— UFC (@ufc) July 30, 2023
