Former lightweight champions Tony Ferguson and Anthony Pettis didn’t disappoint in their UFC 229 co-main event on Saturday, with Ferguson emerging victorious from their bloody war via second-round TKO to extend his winning streak to 11 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The bout was Ferguson’s first since October 2017.
Ferguson kept the heat on Pettis throughout the opening five minutes, with the pressure forcing “Showtime” to largely fight off his back foot. Ferguson took a couple hard kicks to the leg, but his volume and variety of strikes
A Pettis right hand dropped Ferguson early in the second round, and a couple flash knockdowns ensued before the two settled into a brief ground battle. A cut on the hairline of Pettis brought a brief halt to the action, but when the fight resumed, the two lightweight standouts got back to work, Ferguson pressuring Pettis against the Octagon as Pettis looked to counter. With under two minutes left, Ferguson began landed several hard shots, now cutting Pettis over the left eye. Soon, Pettis began firing back, jarring Ferguson with a right hand. In the closing minute, Ferguson unloaded with both hands, but the horn ended the late charge of “El Cucuy.”
Between rounds, Pettis told coach Duke Roufus that his right hand was broken, and the veteran coach decided that he had seen enough, with Ferguson declared the winner by second-round TKO.
With the win, the No. 2-ranked Ferguson moves to 25-3. The No. 8-ranked Pettis falls to 21-8.
REYES Vs SAINT PREUX
“I felt like I had the knockout but, at the end of the day, I’m happy with the win. We went in there and went to war tonight. He was, by far, the toughest guy I’ve faced in my career. He pushed the pace, we were banging with each other. ~@DomReyes#UFC229pic.twitter.com/3d77NcE7uD
— UFC News (@UFCNews) October 7, 2018
Unbeaten Dominick Reyes delivered another big win in light heavyweight action, shutting out perennial contender Ovince Saint Preux over three rounds.
Reyes impressed in the first round, with his early striking attack prompting Saint Preux to look for a takedown. He got one, but Reyes jumped up immediately and proceeded to land hard elbows in the clinch before jarring OSP with kicks and punches, wrapping up a winning opening frame.
The pace slowed in the second and third, but Reyes still remained in control with his striking as he held off the bloodied OSP’s takedown attempts. At end of the round, Reyes landed a flush left that dropped Saint Preux, but the horn intervened, sending the bout to the scorecards, where Reyes earned a 30-27 score from each judge.
With the win, the No. 12-ranked Reyes moves to 10-0. The No. 7-ranked Saint Preux falls to 23-12.
Heavyweight contender Derrick Lewis was likely 11 seconds away from defeat when he turned the tables on Alexander Volkov, scoring a come from behind third-round knockout.
Volkov rocked Lewis early and went on the attack, but the Texan swung back hard in response. Moments later the same thing happened, and again, Lewis was able to survive. Midway through the round, Lewis tried for a takedown, only to have Volkov land on top. The two rose quickly, and Lewis landed a hard right hand that got Volkov’s attention, but the Russian responded with a thudding takedown. After a few hard strikes, Volkov took Lewis’ back, but “The Black Beast” was able to reverse position and land several bombs before the end of the round.
The first right hand Volkov threw in round two rocked Lewis once more, but the Texan wouldn’t go away, seemingly one haymaker away from turning things around. Volkov responded accordingly, keeping matters at range, where he could peck and poke at his foe.
A rapidly swelling left eye continued to give Lewis issues in the third round, and Volkov acted accordingly, hurting the tired Texan a few more times, but out of nowhere, Lewis exploded with a series of power shots, and as Drago hit the deck, more followed, knocking out the Russian at the 4:49 mark of the final round.
With the win, the No. 2-ranked Lewis moves to 21-5 with 1 NC. The No. 5-ranked Volkov falls to 30-7.
In the main card opener, Michelle Waterson won a clash of veteran strawweight contenders, defeating Felice Herrig via unanimous decision.
The first round was close, with Waterson scoring well at range with her kicks until Herrig was able to lock her up against the fence and use her clinch game. There was more of the same from Herrig in round two, but eventually, Waterson broke free, landed a kick to the head and then took the fight to the mat, where she controlled matters effectively until the horn.
In the third, a well-defended takedown allowed Herrig to land in the top position, but it was Waterson staying the busier fighter off her back, and when the two stood, Waterson continued to shine, allowing her to leave the Octagon with the victory via scores of 30-26, 29-28 and 30-27.
With the win, the No. 8-ranked Waterson moves to 16-6. The No. 9-ranked Herrig falls to 14-8.
