“ITS TONY TIMEE!!!” – Fans react as Tony Ferguson stops Salt Papi to earn first combat sports win in over six years

It’s been a while since Tony Ferguson saw his name in the win column. However, that draught has finally come to an end. The former UFC interim lightweight champion ended six years without a win on Saturday night, stopping Nathaniel ‘Salt Papi’ Bustamante in the third round at Misfits Boxing 22 in Manchester.

Ferguson also secured the interim middleweight title in the crossover promotion with the win. The 41-year-old entered the bout as the underdog and looked vulnerable early.

Bustamante dictated the pace in the opening round with quick counters and sharp left hands. Ferguson, however, grew into the fight, showing more urgency in the second and gradually turning the tide. By the third round, he had found his tempo, forcing Bustamante into the corners and unloading combinations that brought the referee’s intervention with just 20 seconds left in the frame.

Check out the finishing sequence below:

Several fans commented on the Instagram post, where one fan wrote:

“It’s Tony Time [been waiting for years to say that].”

Meanwhile, other fans wrote:

“Bro is 45 [41-years-old in reality] but still fighting for his family, proud to be Tony fan.”

“Only casuals don’t understand that it was a good stoppage. ‘Salt Papi’ is not a real boxer. He can really get hurt if they don’t stop it. Tony dominated him, too.”

“Bad stoppage, but I understand, all that sweat made it look like he was getting cooked.”

“I mean, he was getting rocked. Y’all, he literally fought Tony Ferguson like y’all try taking those punches.”

Check out some of the fan reactions below:

The win carried extra weight given Ferguson’s recent struggles. From 2013 to 2019, he was one of the most feared lightweights in the UFC, compiling a 12-fight win streak and claiming interim gold.