5 iconic Tony Ferguson moments in the UFC

#2. Tony Ferguson dominates former champion in his first main event – UFC Fight Night 98

Riding a blistering eight-fight win streak in the UFC lightweight division following his win over Lando Vannata, Tony Ferguson was tantalizingly close to a shot at gold. The Californian had already put together a stellar résumé, but still needed to beat a big name before calling for a shot at UFC gold.

Off the back of his sparkling run of form, Ferguson was booked to take on former 155-pound kingpin Rafael dos Anjos. The duo squared off in the main event of UFC Fight Night 98, which went down in Mexico City, Mexico.

Rafael dos Anjos is among the most well-rounded fighters in the history of the 155-pound division. The Brazilian has solid stand-up and slick grappling, in addition to being one of the bigger lightweights around. Stylistically, many believed he would be a challenging matchup for Tony Ferguson.

The first round was a closely contested affair, with both lightweights landing good shots. Ferguson dominated the second with his relentless forward pressure, catching his Brazilian counterpart repeatedly with jabs, body kicks and leg kicks. Dos Anjos enjoyed moments of success in the third, but struggled against the volume of 'El Cucuy' in the penultimate frame.

Dos Anjos was visibly battered going into the fifth and final round, while his American foe looked as fresh as he did in the first. Ferguson put on a clinic in the final five minutes to reel in a unanimous decision victory.

Watch the highlights of the fight below:

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#1. Tony Ferguson wins interim lightweight championship – UFC 216

Going into 2017, Tony Ferguson was riding a nine-fight win streak and a large section of fans were clamoring for him to fight for the title. Conor McGregor was the lightweight titleholder at the time, but the Irishman's foray into the professional boxing world prompted the UFC to put up an interim title.

Ferguson was fresh off his resounding victory over former UFC champion Rafael dos Anjos and was booked to fight Kevin Lee, who was riding a five-fight win streak at the time. The duo locked horns in the main event of UFC 216.

Kevin Lee dominated the first round, taking Tony Ferguson down and raining down heavy ground-and-pound strikes. Lee secured full mount and landed some thunderous elbows on 'El Cucuy', who was arguably saved by the bell after the opening five minutes.

It appeared as though Lee overcompensated with his gas tank in the first round, as he looked quite fatigued in the second. Ferguson picked apart 'The Motown Phenom' on the feet, and didn't give him any time to take a breather.

In the third round, Lee seemingly realized that he wasn't going to last 25 minutes. He turned up the pace and started attacking takedowns in an attempt to replicate his success in the first round. As he attempted to take Ferguson down, 'El Cucuy' latched onto a triangle choke, forcing Lee to tap.

Watch the full fight below: