LAS VEGAS — Japan’s Katsunori Kikuno got the attention of the crowd at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Saturday night by walking out to the 1980s classic “We Are The World.”
Unfortunately for Kikuno, Tony Ferguson made sure UFC 173 wasn’t a brighter day for the Tokyo lightweight.
Ferguson, the TUF 13 champion, made short work if Kikuno, winning via knockout at 4:06 of the first round.
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Kikuno got off to a solid start, pushing the pace from the outset. But Ferguson saw him and raised, turning it into a slugfest.
“I know I just had to keep going forward, and I just didn’t want to get mesmerized by his stance,” Ferguson said. “I can take a hit, I know I can hit back twice as hard.”
Kikuno bailed out and backpedaled, but Ferguson caught him and got him into a D’Arce choke. While Kikuno escaped, it wasn’t much longer before Ferguson tagged him with a huge right hand on the button which ended the fight.
“I was like alright this is cool, youwant to stay in the pocket, this is my kind of fight,” Ferguson said. “I wanted to try some interesting things.”
The Oxnard, Calif.-based Ferguson improved to 16-3 with his 14th career finish. Kikuno had a six-fight win streak snapped and dropped to 22-6-2.