MMAjunkie's 'Fight of the Month' for November: A lightweight classic with a potential title shot on the line

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMAjunkie takes a look at the best fights from November. Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMAjunkie’s “Fight of the Month” award for November.

At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting on your choice.

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The Nominees

Tony Ferguson def. Rafael dos Anjos at UFC Fight Night 98

Tony Ferguson (22-3 MMA, 12-1 UFC) has been angling for a title shot for a long time, and he may have earned it when he picked up a career-best win over former UFC lightweight champ Rafael dos Anjos (25-9 MMA, 14-7 UFC).

In a brutal fight at high altitude in Mexico City where both men had their moments, Ferguson and his seemingly endless cardio was able to outwork and outlast dos Anjos over the course of 25 minutes, giving Ferguson unanimous 48-47 scores across the board and his ninth consecutive UFC victory.

Tyron Woodley vs. Stephen Thompson at UFC 205

Tyron Woodley (16-2-1 MMA, 6-2-1 UFC) may still own his UFC welterweight title after a UFC 205 meeting with Stephen Thompson (13-1-1 MMA, 8-1-1 UFC). However, it he didn’t keep it in the fashion he would have liked, because he only owns it by fighting to a majority draw.

Woodley and Thompson went five thrilling, back-and-forth rounds. It was a very even fight for the 170-pound belt, and two of the three judges scored it a tie, while another had it for Woodley. That meant a rare majority draw, which felt like an almost fitting ending to a highly competitive fight.

Jack Marshman def. Magnus Cedenblad at UFC Fight Night 99

Jack Marshman (21-5 MMA, 1-0 UFC), the first Welshman signed to the UFC, was willing to eat a few punches to deliver one, and in his long-awaited UFC debut, the strategy worked in his favor against Magnus Cedenblad (14-5 MMA, 4-2 UFC.

Marshman, a former Cage Warriors champion, picked up his 19th stoppage in 21 career wins with an upset of heavy favorite Cedenblad. Both men were dropped and hurt as the momentum of the middleweight bout swung to each side, but in the second frame Marshman made his opponent feel his power and put him down for good with the TKO finish.

Michael Chandler def. Benson Henderson at Bellator 165

For the second time, former UFC champ Benson Henderson (24-7 MMA, 1-2 BMMA) came up short in his quest to become just the second fighter in history to capture UFC and Bellator titles when he fell just shy of victory in his lightweight championship showdown with Michael Chandler (16-3 MMA, 13-3 BMMA).

It was the type of fight many had hoped for when the pair were pitted against each other. Chandler’s strength and brute force against Henderson’s durability and opportunistic offense. Each side had their moments to end the fight inside the distance, but they ended up going all five rounds and Chandler was awarded the split decision on the scorecards.

Robert Whittaker def. Derek Brunson via head kick, punches at UFC Fight Night 101

After a long card filled with a record-tying amount of decision, Robert Whittaker (17-4 MMA, 8-2 UFC) delivered a big finish and kept his undefeated record at middleweight in tact with a first-round TKO victory over Derek Brunson (16-4 MMA, 7-2 UFC).

It was wild action for the roughly four minutes it lasted. Brunson started the fight quickly and tried to put Whittaker away with a flurry of strikes. He couldn’t finish the job, though, and once “The Reaper” recovered, he found a home for a big head kick which stunned his opponent and led to the exhilarating stoppage.

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The Winner: Tony Ferguson vs. Rafael dos Anjos

Ferguson made his strongest argument for a title shot, picking up his ninth straight octagon win with a decision over ex-champ dos Anjos.It was an inspired performance, as Ferguson danced circles around dos Anjos, keeping the Brazilian off balance at all times for unanimous 48-47 scores.

Although Ferguson is known as something of a wild card, attempting high risk submission maneuvers, he was even more freewheeling than usual. Dos Anjos was forced to keep up with salsa shuffles, voguing, and rolling leglock attempts as he waged a mostly conventional attack against the surging contender. In the first round, he had his greatest success, beating Ferguson to the punch.

What he didn’t bank on, most likely, was the fact that Ferguson could take all of his shots. Ferguson might have fought relatively smarter from the second round on, but the thing that really saved him was an iron jaw, which allowed him to walk through stiff straight lefts from the ex-champ. Over and over, he took shots that might have staggered others and continued to press the action.

By the midway point of the fight, dos Anjos’ face was bleeding badly. By the fifth round, it was covered in blood.

Ferguson worked dos Anjos’ legs from the outset, seeking to take away some of the sting on his opponent’s punches. A pair of takedown attempts were easily shrugged off, leaving the two in a pitched striking battle.

An errant eyepoke brought the bout to a brief stop when Ferguson’s fingers glanced dos Anjos’ eye. Although ref Herb Dean didn’t see the foul, an agitated Ferguson still backed away.

Dos Anjos managed to rally at several points, catching Ferguson as he tried to finish off the job at the cage. But more than anything else, it Ferguson’s freewheeling approach that got him in trouble. At most points during the fight, he was still in control, meanwhile taking offensive liberties against his most dangerous opponent to date.

“Tony was a better fighter tonight,” dos Anjos said afterward. “I felt like his fingers in my eye bothered me in the second. But that’s not an excuse. Tony did a great job. He was a better fighter today.”