2. Devastation for Tony Ferguson
As much praise as Gaethje deserves for showing up like he did, it’s hard not to feel bad for [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag] in this situation. He’s the one who had everything to lose, and the worst-case scenario is now his reality.
Ferguson’s seven-year, 12-fight winning streak came to an abrupt end in a bout in which he cold never really get going outside of a few moments. The immediate narrative around his loss is that the anticipated matchup with Nurmagomedov could forever be lost, and that’s a real possibility.
At 36 and with a somewhat frightening amount of damage absorbed over his career (including an orbital bone fracture against Gaethje), the best of Ferguson might be behind us. It’s possible he had an off night, or Gaethje is just that damn good, but Ferguson now finds himself in a tough predicament.
The next fight will answer a lot of questions about Ferguson. It’s possible he can get a big win or two and reclaim his top contender status, but as of now one of the great tragedies in UFC history could be unfolding before us with Ferguson never fighting for an undisputed belt despite putting together one of the longest winning streaks the company has ever seen.
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