UFC 173 results, photos: Tony Ferguson stops Katsunori Kikuno with one punch

LAS VEGAS – As he is known to do, Katsunori Kikuno began his bout against Tony Ferguson with the fighting stance of a man who didn’t seem worried about getting punched in the face.

After a few minutes, he was right where you’d expect such a man to end up, which is flat on his back.

With one right hand, Ferguson (15-3 MMA, 5-1 UFC) planted a wounded Kikuno (22-6-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) on the mat, forcing a stop to the bout at 4:06 of Round 1.

The lightweight fight was part of today’s UFC 173 preliminary card at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. It aired on FOX Sports 1 prior to the pay-per-view main card.

Kikuno found some limited success with his unorthodox approach in the opening seconds of the fight, as Ferguson swung and missed several times and Kikuno made him pay with accurate counter punches.

But as Ferguson kept the pressure on, eventually he started to find his target. Soon Kikuno was reeling, and he nearly found himself on the wrong end of a submission or two after a big slam from Ferguson, followed by an armbar and D’arce choke attempt, both of which failed to end the fight.

Back on their feet, Ferguson pursued a still woozy Kikuno until he found the opening for a hard right hand that sent Kikuno crashing to the floor. As his head bounced off the mat, the referee stepped in to wave it off before he could endure any further punishment.

Ferguson has now won two in a row in the UFC. Kikuno loses for the first time in six fights.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 173 results include:

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For full coverage of UFC 173, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.

(Matt Erickson and John Morgan contributed to this report on-site in Las Vegas.)