Interim UFC champ Tony Ferguson receives jiu-jitsu black belt from Eddie Bravo

Tony Ferguson is on a belt-collection tour.

After claiming the interim UFC lightweight title with a third-round submission of Kevin Lee in the UFC 216 headliner earlier this month, Ferguson (23-3 MMA, 13-1 UFC) got another belt of significance this week.

Ferguson was awarded his black belt from 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu head coach Eddie Bravo, a well deserved honor considering the success of “El Cucuy” on the mat in recent years, but particularly the showdown with Lee.

Several techniques from Bravo’s grappling program aided Ferguson to victory. He implemented a rubber guard in the contest with Lee before finally locking in a fight-ending submission. Ferguson became just the second fighter in UFC history to end a championship fight by triangle choke, a feat worthy of black belt status.

Bravo announced Ferguson’s graduation on social media (via Instagram):

The day I got back to Jean Jacques Academy after 2003 ADCC, he gave me the black belt off his waist. Tonight I gave it to @tonyfergusonxt

A post shared by Eddie Bravo (@eddiebravo10) on Oct 18, 2017 at 10:09pm PDT

The day I got back to Jean Jacques Academy after 2003 ADCC, he gave me the black belt off his waist. Tonight I gave it to @tonyfergusonxt

Following his submission win at UFC 216, Ferguson, No. 2 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA lightweight rankings, is hoping for a title-unification showdown with champion and No. 1-ranked Conor McGregor (21-3 MMA, 9-1 UFC), though the matchup is not officially confirmed.

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, visit the UFC Rumors section of the site.

The Blue Corner is MMAjunkie‘s official blog and is edited by Mike Bohn.