Tony Ferguson managed to break his dry spell.
The future UFC Hall of Fame member and one-time interim lightweight titleholder secured his initial combat sports triumph since 2019 on Saturday at Misfits Boxing 22. He achieved this by stopping Nathaniel “Salt Papi” Bustamante with a late third-round technical knockout, defying expectations in a major betting upset at the AO Arena in Manchester, England.
With this victory, Ferguson, aged 41, claims the interim middleweight championship at Misfits Boxing.
“Just a single victory is a game changer,” Ferguson expressed.
Ferguson (25-11 MMA, 1-0 boxing) had been facing difficulties in recent times. Once a dominant force among lightweights in MMA, Ferguson gained fame through a remarkable 12-fight winning streak in the UFC from 2013-19. This included a 2017 victory over Kevin Lee to win the interim lightweight title when then-champion Conor McGregor temporarily left MMA to pursue boxing against Floyd Mayweather. However, Ferguson’s memorable streak ended against Justin Gaethje in 2020, initiating an eight-fight losing streak in the UFC, which ultimately led to his departure from the promotion.
Ferguson was set to make his initial appearance post-UFC in an MMA match against Dillon Danis for the unfortunate Global Fight League (GFL). However, after the GFL’s downfall, he shifted to making his professional boxing debut against Misfits veteran Bustamante (6-3, 5 KOs).
Bustamante, aged 31, seemed like the more composed fighter early on Saturday, dissecting the UFC veteran with left-hand strikes from a distance and catching Ferguson with glancing powerful shots and skillful counter-punching. However, Ferguson gradually established his rhythm in the ring, tightening up the competition with a more balanced second round before escalating his aggression in the third. He overwhelmed Bustamante with sharp right hands and intense pressure in the corners.
The fight-ending sequence occurred with 20 seconds remaining in Round 3, as Ferguson launched a barrage of punches at Bustamante, leading the referee to intervene and stop the fight. This decision was met with protests from the Misfits Boxing commentary team, who felt it was an early stoppage.
Following the fight, Ferguson and Danis, who had previously claimed the inaugural Misfits MMA title with a 15-second submission victory over Warren Spencer, started building anticipation for a future match.
“We need to compete for the belt now,” Danis said to Ferguson in the ring. “We need to compete for the MMA belt. You held the UFC belt, now you’re coming for my belt. Congratulations on the win.”
For complete coverage of Saturday’s fight card, including live results, round-by-round commentary, and highlights of the entire DAZN pay-per-view, please visit Uncrowned’s Misfits Boxing 22 hub.
