Justin Gaethje pummeled Tony Ferguson in theirUFC 249 interim lightweight slugfestSaturday night, not letting up until he was crowned victorious over his bloody opponent in the middle of the fifth round.
Gaethje, who stepped into the fight because Khabib Nurmagomedov was unable to participate, shook Ferguson in the early going with a series of powerful lefthooks. He took a tough uppercut to the chin in the second round that caused a brief wobble, but as the bout continued, he avoided serious trouble while wearing down Ferguson.
Gaethje declined the interim title belt he had just earned, saying he would wait for the real one.
— ESPN (@espn) May 10, 2020Justin Gaethje tossed aside the interim lightweight title belt he won at #UFC249
"I'll wait for the real one." pic.twitter.com/GBxD1RUemj
Earlier in the evening,Henry Cejudo defeated Dominick Cruz by TKO to win the bantamweight title. Cejudo, 33, announced his retirement from the UFC after his win.
Sporting News trackedlive updates and highlights from UFC 249, including the Tony Ferguson vs. Justin Gaethje main event and the rest of the fight card.
MORE:Francis Ngannou KOs Jairzinho Rozenstruik in 20 seconds
UFC 249 live updates, results from main card
(All times Eastern)
Justin Gaethje def. Tony Ferguson by TKO
1:02 a.m.: GAETHJE WINS BY TKO. An accumulation of hits finally gets to Ferguson.
Gaethje refuses to take the interim title. “I’ll wait for the real one,” he tells Rogan.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) May 10, 2020
— UFC (@ufc) May 10, 2020JUSTIN GAETHJE WITH THE ULTIMATE HIGHLIGHT TONIGHT!
🏆 @Justin_Gaethje with a championship level performance in the biggest fight of his career! #UFC249 pic.twitter.com/FyyXZYBVG0
1 a.m.: Gaethje just needs to avoid catastrophe over the final three minutes of the roundto win. He's been dominant.
12:57 a.m.: End of the fourth round. Somehow, Ferguson is still standing.
This has been nothing short of a brilliant performance by Justin Gaethje through four rounds. Damn entertaining to watch.
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) May 10, 2020
12:55 a.m.:Gaethje rocks Ferguson again, and that one might have stuck. Ferguson really wobbled there.
12:51 a.m.: End of the third round. Despite stumbling from thatsecond-round uppercut, Gaethje has been the better fighter tonight. Hit Ferguson with so many nice left-handed counters.
12:49 a.m.: Gaethje is stepping up the pressure once again. Ferguson's face is a mess.
— UFC (@ufc) May 10, 2020👊💥😱
How is Ferguson still standing after this massive right from @Justin_Gaethje?! #UFC249 pic.twitter.com/Ow1Qdb3cNQ
12:48 a.m.: Ferguson has some swelling around one of his eyes, which could increasingly impair his vision as this fight progresses.
12:45 a.m.: Now Ferguson lands a huge punch! A nasty uppercut to the chin. That's how the second round ends. This is a good one so far.
DROPPED! 😱@TonyFergusonXT with a HUGE uppercut to close R2! #UFC249 pic.twitter.com/qRhkhlcHTs
— UFC (@ufc) May 10, 2020
12:44 a.m.: Ferguson is eating shots to his face that would put others to sleep. Can he keep eating them long enough to tireGaethje?
12:42 a.m.:Gaethje has the clear advantage right now.
12:39 a.m.:End of the first round. Two hard left hooks in quick succession fromGaethje give him the momentum.
AS ADVERTISED. 😤@TonyFergusonXT and @Justin_Gaethje swinging from the get-go! #UFC249 pic.twitter.com/MUWJDDjKaT
— UFC (@ufc) May 10, 2020
12:37 a.m.: Gaethje is swinging big in this first round. He's landed a couple of those punches and shown his knockout intentions.
12:33 a.m.: The final fight of the night is underway.
12:25 a.m.: Ferguson and Gaethje make their entrances.
Henry Cejudo def. Dominick Cruz by TKO
12:15 a.m.: Cejudo announces his retirement followinghis victory.
Triple C out. 🏆🏅🏆@HenryCejudo #UFC249 pic.twitter.com/9iPPLTkb1h
— UFC (@ufc) May 10, 2020
12:10 a.m.: Cejudo knocks Cruz over with a knee straight to Cruz's head and follows with a series of punches that leads the ref to stop the action. Cejudo retains his title. The decision to end things there was somewhat controversial.
— The Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) May 10, 2020Cejudo (-200) catches Cruz with a knee❗️
He hands Dominick Cruz his first loss at the 135lb class.pic.twitter.com/fyanddfrU1
— UFC (@ufc) May 10, 2020Flyweight title defended ✅
Bantamweight title defended ✅DON'T. DOUBT. @HenryCejudo! #UFC249 pic.twitter.com/dS4HhehUFZ
There's a stoppage we're probably going to argue about. But you can see what the ref was thinking there. Cejudo dropped Cruz with that knee and was jacking him with punches with no real response from Cruz.
— Ben Fowlkes (@benfowlkesMMA) May 10, 2020
Henry Cejudo stops him in the second!!! Mannnnn ... Dominick Cruz was hurt but looked like he was still moving a bit. Referee could have let it go, but it's not egregious he stopped it. Not egregious at all.
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) May 10, 2020
WOW! Cejudo stops Cruz! That stoppage was AWFUL.
— Andreas Hale (@AndreasHale) May 10, 2020
12:08 a.m.: A cut opens up on Cejudo's forehead after his headcomes together with Cruz.
12:06 a.m.: Cejudo keeps chopping away with leg kicks. Nothing devastating yet, though.
12:02 a.m.: End of the first round. Strong work from Cejudo so far.
Midnight: Cejudo withstands a high knee and momentarily takes down Cruzwith a nice counter.
11:58 p.m.: Lots of dancing in the opening minute. First connection doesn't come until the point the previous fight on this card was already over.
11:57p.m.: The first round between Cejudo and Cruz is underway.
11:45 p.m.: Time for some bantamweight title fun. The fighters are making their entrances.
First walk for Dominick Cruz in 1,226 days
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) May 10, 2020
Francis Ngannou def. Jairzinho Rozenstruik by KO
11:33 p.m.: IT'S OVER RIGHT AWAY. NGANNOU STUNS ROZENSTRUIK IN 20 SECONDS.
At this point anyone that agrees to step into an octagon with Francis Ngannou is certifiably insane pic.twitter.com/5tMRxjzQBg
— George Balekji (@GeorgeBalekji) May 10, 2020
Yooooo who is trying fight that man!?!?! @francis_ngannou #UFC249
— Patrick Mahomes II (@PatrickMahomes) May 10, 2020
Ngannou: When I heard he called me out, I knew that he didn't know what he's doing. He has a lot of potential, but I think he has to take a step back and then get ready before fighting against someone like me #UFC249
— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) May 10, 2020
DC knows. 😳@DC_MMA #UFC249 pic.twitter.com/wDm0qKUPog
— UFC (@ufc) May 10, 2020
11:23 p.m.: One more clash of heavyweights before our pair of title fights. Will we get another knockout?
Francis Ngannou vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik up next. This damn fight absolutely cannot go the distance. #UFC249
— Andreas Hale (@AndreasHale) May 10, 2020
Calvin Kattar def.Jeremy Stephens by KO
11:08 p.m.: Kattar wins by second-round KO! Got himwith the elbow.
😨 #UFC249 pic.twitter.com/HibHd2kILX
— ESPN (@espn) May 10, 2020
Those elbows by Calvin Kattar 😳 pic.twitter.com/3y0YvxL1xb
— Abdul Memon (@abdulamemon) May 10, 2020
CALVIN KATTAR GETS IT DONE! 😤@CalvinKattar closes the show in the second! #UFC249 pic.twitter.com/cQtDkij5UI
— UFC (@ufc) May 10, 2020
11:03 p.m.: End of the first round.
11:02 p.m. Stephens lands a crushing kick to the leg. Kattar lands a powerful right hand to the face.
🍀 Kattar lands a HUGE right as these two waste no time!@CalvinKattar #UFC249 pic.twitter.com/KFtpgh8zRk
— UFC (@ufc) May 10, 2020
11:01 p.m.: Stephens has been the aggressor so far as the fighters feel each other out.
10:57 p.m.: The second contest of the main card is underway.
Greg Hardy def.Yorgan de Castro by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
10:41 p.m.:Hardy wins by unanimous decision. De Castro showed very little after the first round. He says he injured his foot.
Shout out @DC_MMA playing the commentator/coach role tonight! 🎤@GregHardyJr #UFC249 pic.twitter.com/qmzOgfA2H2
— UFC (@ufc) May 10, 2020
10:40 p.m.: End of third round. This will come down to a judges' decision.
10:38 p.m.:De Castro slips and Hardy giveshim the business for about 30 seconds with a steady drum of punches to the legs.
10:35 p.m.: Hardy comes out of the break with a huge right-handed swing. De Castro is trying to follow instructions from his corner to keep up his kicks to Hardy's weakened lower body.
10:34 p.m.: End of second round.
10:32 p.m.: De Castro is sitting back more in the second round. Unclear if it's strategic or if he's hurt. (UPDATE: It appears he was hurt.)
De Castro complains of a broken foot. #UFC249 as Greg Hardy wins by decision. pic.twitter.com/uaehtsoXfM
— Mario Yamasaki (@refyamasaki) May 10, 2020
10:28 p.m.: Endof the first round. Both fighters took damage, butHardy's left leg might have received the most significant blow. These guys have a stupid amount of power behind each swing. It wouldn't be surprising if one finds a knockout soon.
Yikes. 😬#UFC249 pic.twitter.com/odJ5QRZ5zM
— UFC (@ufc) May 10, 2020
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) May 10, 2020Heavy hands being thrown by @DecastroYorgan and @GregHardyJr 😯
Stream #UFC249 on ESPN+ ▶️ https://t.co/xGtn2vMNl0 pic.twitter.com/9W5gbSizNl
10:27 p.m.: Some frenetic action late in the first round brings Hardy into the fight. He'd taken multiple strikes to the legs without responding before landing a couple of shots up high.
10:22 p.m.:The first round is underway!
10:16 p.m.: These empty arena walkouts are going to feel weird all night.
10:10 p.m.: The main card will get underway soon following several entertaining preliminary contests. Hardy vs. DeCastro will be up first.
Tony Ferguson vs. Justin Gaethje undercard results
Anthony Pettis def.Donald Cerrone by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
The third round of that fight was crazy.Cerrone was undeterred after being poked in the eye, and Pettis somehow stayed on his feet after taking a kick to his face. Pettis claims victory over a competitor he's built a strong relationship with over the past decade.
Just a couple of OGs huggin' it out #UFC249@Cowboycerrone 🤝 @Showtimepettis pic.twitter.com/09jGpRRiWi
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) May 10, 2020
🗣️ "I'll take it!"@ShowtimePettis with the UD to make it 2-0 in the series! #UFC249 pic.twitter.com/AuMWFH7Tbw
— UFC (@ufc) May 10, 2020
Two gunslingers swinging it out! 💥@ShowtimePettis and @CowboyCerrone giving us a show! #UFC249 pic.twitter.com/viibyoxGFg
— UFC (@ufc) May 10, 2020
Pettis stopping Cowboy in his tracks with the counter right! 👊@ShowtimePettis #UFC249 pic.twitter.com/3rbEYVSa1g
— UFC (@ufc) May 10, 2020
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) May 10, 2020Some razzle dazzle by @Showtimepettis, but @Cowboycerrone turned it into a takedown 😏
Stream #UFC249 on ESPN+ ▶️ https://t.co/xGtn2vMNl0 pic.twitter.com/XKsNnWkPM0
Aleksei Oleinik def. Fabricio Werdum by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Credit to Werdum for recovering from a poor start, but the judges determine his third-round rally didn't quite make up for his early struggles.
— UFC (@ufc) May 10, 2020The Boa Constrictor! 🐍
🇷🇺 @OleynikUFC gets the nod at #UFC249 pic.twitter.com/eg2tKxKtJD
🇧🇷 Werdum taking it to Oleinik as we come down the stretch!@FabricioWerdum #UFC249 pic.twitter.com/ix8jtsMXDC
— UFC (@ufc) May 10, 2020
Not just a submission artist...@OleynikUFC is throwing BOMBS! 💣#UFC249 pic.twitter.com/YUzMxQ12wt
— UFC (@ufc) May 10, 2020
Carla Esparza def. Michelle Waterson by split decision (30-27, 27-30, 29-28)
Waterson appeared surprised by the decision after a neck-and-neck battle.
Get the cookies ready! 🍪@CarlaEsparza1 gets the split decision to make it three straight! #UFC249 pic.twitter.com/Hcu27it2rR
— UFC (@ufc) May 10, 2020
Vicente Luque def. Niko Price by TKO
Heck of a fight there. Price landed some big-time blows, including an early kick to Luque's face, and started the third round in control. Luque landed the decisive strike, though, with a late hook that sent his opponent to the ground.
— ESPN (@espn) May 10, 2020NIKO PRICE'S EYE 😳
Stream #UFC249 on ESPN+ ➡️ https://t.co/uIC7AqOEfU pic.twitter.com/xkMcLSDv7t
DROPPED! 👊@VicenteLuqueMMA putting Price down in the third! #UFC249 pic.twitter.com/lTPVOJjIEW
— UFC (@ufc) May 10, 2020
Did you really expect anything else from these two?!@VicenteLuqueMMA @NikoHybridPrice #UFC249 pic.twitter.com/Xqi1iNw0Gj
— UFC (@ufc) May 10, 2020
These boys SWINGING.@VicenteLuqueMMA @NikoHybridPrice #UFC249 pic.twitter.com/xptMQEEh45
— UFC (@ufc) May 10, 2020
Bryce Mitchell def. Charles Rosa by unanimous decision (30-25,30-25,30-24)
30-25. 30.25. 30-24. 😳@ThugNastyMMA really left NO DOUBT. #UFC249 pic.twitter.com/AdPQrasE15
— UFC (@ufc) May 10, 2020
Unofficially, Bryce Mitchell (@ThugNastyMMA) earned 13:59 of ground control time in 15 minutes against Charles Rosa tonight. #UFC249 pic.twitter.com/22nIx0wc7T
— UFC News (@UFCNews) May 10, 2020
Ryan Spann def. Sam Alvey by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
— UFC (@ufc) May 9, 2020Superman takes the split!
What time does UFC 249 start tonight?
- Date: Saturday, May 9
- UFC 249 time:6:30 p.m. ET | 3:30 p.m. PT
- Main card:10 p.m. ET | 7 p.m. PT
- Ferguson vs. Gaethje: 12:15 a.m. ET (approx.)
Fight fans are in for a big night of actionSaturday with 11bouts over a span of more than six hours. The preliminary fights are scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. ET, followed by the main card at 10 p.m. ET.
Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethjeare expected tostep into the Octagon shortly after midnight ET to close out the night in style, in a matchup that will determine theinterim lightweight title.
MORE:UFC 249 betting odds, advice for Tony Ferguson vs. Justin Gaethje card
UFC 249 fight card
Main card
- Tony Ferguson vs. Justin Gaethje for the interim lightweight title
- Henry Cejudo vs. Dominick Cruz for the bantamweight title
- Francis Ngannou vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik; heavyweights
- Jeremy Stephens vs. Calvin Kattar; featherweights
- Greg Hardy vs. Yorgan de Castro; heavyweights
Preliminary card
- Donald Cerrone vs. Anthony Pettis; welterweights
- Aleksei Oleinik vs. Fabricio Werdum; heavyweights
- Carla Esparza vs. Michelle Waterson; women's strawweights
Early preliminary card
- Vicente Luque vs. Niko Price; welterweights
- Bryce Mitchell vs. Charles Rosa; featherweights
- Ryan Spann vs. Sam Alvey; light heavyweights
