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Tony Ferguson is a true fighter and he is blessed with a granite chin. During his main event clash against Justin Gaethje at UFC 249 on Saturday night, Ferguson literally took some bombs on the face but quitting isn't a term "El Cucuy" seems to be familiar with.
Speaking at the post-fight press conference, UFC President Dana White called Ferguson a “special human being” for being able to withstand such an unbelievable amount of punishment at the hands of Gaethje and still walk him down.
Grueling weight cuts took a toll on Ferguson, believes White
However, White also noticed that Ferguson wasn't being his usual self inside the Octagon and feels it might have something to do with the grueling weight cut he went through to make weight for the interim title fight.
“I don’t want to take anything away from Gaethje, because he fought an incredible fight. But I thought Tony looked off tonight. I thought he looked slow, and I would have to imagine that cutting weight twice in a month will affect you. So I don’t know if that’s it or what. The guy isn’t human. He’s got a chin. Nobody takes Gaethje’s punches like that – nobody I’ve seen since I’ve been watching Gaethje fight.”
Gaethje dominated the whole fight, landing some brutal shots on Ferguson which split him open and late in the fifth round, a stiff jab that sent Ferguson's head rocking back and made him wobble on his feet was enough for referee Herb Dean to step in and call time on the thrilling main event contest.
Although there was no controversy regarding the stoppage because Ferguson took a dangerous amount of punishment throughout the fight, White revealed that former UFC fighter Chuck Liddell expressed his displeasure about the stoppage by Dean, calling it "early".
“Chuck Liddell is blowing me up saying that was a horrible stoppage, and that’s crazy. I think the fight could have been stopped a little sooner. Tony took a lot of damage tonight from a guy who hits like a truck, a guy who hits very hard, and usually knocks people unconscious when he hits people. So I actually think the stoppage was great, and I think it could have been stopped sooner.”
