The biggest prize in MMA today is a fight with Conor McGregor. Fans and fighters may not like it, but it's an indisputable fact at this point. Whether it's Chad Mendes, Jose Aldo or Nate Diaz, facing the Irish karateka is a life-changing opportunity that brings both an otherwise unobtainable level of mainstream attention and an incomparably large paycheck in MMA.
On paper, UFC: Mexico headliners Rafael dos Anjos and Tony Ferguson were fighting with a probable title shot on the line. In reality, though, they were fighting for the chance, just the chance, to challenge Conor McGregor following UFC 205.
Those are incredibly high stakes for two men that, despite being amazing fighters, have struggled to resonate with fans (and as a result, have been drastically underpaid). The winner will have the hope of comfortably retiring one day. The loser will have hard times coming their way.
Unfortunately, those hard times are coming for dos Anjos.
The fighters got to work right from the beginning. Dos Anjos attempted to control the center of the cage, but Ferguson worked the striking game well enough keep him from settling into his preferred range. Still, dos Anjos won most exchanges with his tricky left hand and likely sealed the round when he nailed a leg kick-induced knockdown.
The momentum swung heavily in the second round. After a break in action due to an eye poke, Ferguson took control of the fight. Pressing forward with strikes, he kept dos Anjos on his bicycle for the full five minutes but managed to repeatedly tag him with body kicks.
Ferguson's confidence grew in the third, for better or worse. Similar to Round 2, Ferguson pressed the action in a big way in the third, but began getting looser with his strikes, lowering his hands and throwing wild spinning strikes. While Ferguson was in firm control of the pace and place of the action, dos Anjos gained ground in the second half of the round after stunning Ferguson with a straight left.
Dos Anjos clearly put a bit of respect into Ferguson in the fourth, as El Cucuy came out much slower. That extra focus paid dividends as he went virtually untouched in the round, utilizing his reach advantage masterfully by tagging dos Anjos with long jabs and kicks to the body.
The fifth saw a profound difference in cardio. While dos Anjos was still relatively fresh after 20 minutes of brutal action, Ferguson looked like the bout hadn't even started yet. He fought like it, too, and continued to throw wild punches and kicks while keeping dos Anjos along the perimeter of the cage. The final horn sounded with Ferguson stylin' and profilin' while the former champ was wheezing, bloodied and bruised.
Pressure is often the best way to beat a pressure fighter. As soon as RDA gave up on going forward in round three, the fight was lost to him
— Connor Ruebusch (@BoxingBusch) November 6, 2016
The judges' decision came in, with Ferguson taking an unanimous 48-47 decision.
It's an absolutely disheartening turn for dos Anjos. Less than a year ago, the Brazilian looked the part of an unstoppable monster, taking the lightweight title with a controlled demolition of Anthony Pettis and cementing his reign with a quick knockout of Donald Cerrone.
At UFC 196, he was supposed to get that treasured McGregor payday but was robbed of the opportunity due to a foot injury. A loss to Eddie Alvarez in July saw him lose his place in UFC 205's "Champion vs. Champion" main event. This loss to Ferguson, though, will likely leave him working on international Fight Night events for the remainder of his career.
While this shuts the door on dos Anjos getting his own "red panty night" (warning, NSFW language), the future is brighter than ever for Ferguson.
Now riding a nine-fight winning streak, El Cucuy's claim to a title shot, regardless of who wins at UFC 205, is beyond question. His 25 minutes of non-stop work in a high-altitude environment demonstrated an inimitable level of athleticism that, when combined with his amazing stopping power, leaves him seeming nigh invincible.
Big things are in his future. It's just a shame the same can't be said for dos Anjos.
