Cerrone Cornerman: TKO Loss Is ‘Straight Up Horse S–t’

Donald Cerrone may have taken his defeat to Tony Ferguson with a shrug and a smile, but some of his team aren’t nearly as chill

The fight between Tony Ferguson and Donald Cerrone at UFC 238 ended up being everything we hoped it’d be … right up until it suddenly stopped between rounds two and three over a poorly timed nose blow from “Cowboy.” With his orbital bone all smashed up, clearing his sinus of blood and snot led to his eye swelling shut almost instantly, forcing the doctors to call the fight (watch the highlights here).

Adding to the controversy was a shot after the bell from Ferguson, a solid pop right to the nose of Cerrone. Referee Dan Miragliotta would end up checking instant replay to determine if the illegal punch led to the injury that forced the end of the fight, only to determine it didn’t. That earned Ferguson the TKO win via doctor’s stoppage.

That decision is sitting less well with some than others. Unsurprisingly it’s those closest to “Cowboy” that are the most upset. His teammate and cornerman Joe Schilling penned a passionate and profane statement on Instagram calling the outcome ‘criminal.’

You know what all these mma outlets saying that’s a tko can suck my f**king dick. You get your nose broke 3 secs after the bell go back to the corner with your lower eye lid swollen and tell your coach f**k it. I’m giving it all next round then blow your nose and it swells up from the broken nose from a late shot and they call the other guy winner by tko. F**k you.

If you get kicked in the nuts after the round is over and can’t continue you get the win? straight up f**king horse s**t. Respect to Tony it was a great fight he’s not in control of the decision but calling that a win is ridiculous calling that a win by tko is fucking criminal . Run it back I know a guy

Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) for Cerrone, the initial calls for an immediate rematch have died down as people acknowledge the truth we saw in round two. It was pretty clear Ferguson was taking over that fight. Cerrone may have blown his nose at the worst possible time, but it was the underlying trauma inflicted by “El Cucuy” that was the root of it all. You can rage against the system that lumps a doctor’s stoppage in with TKOs, but to suggest Ferguson didn’t really win that fight is disingenuous.

And as mentioned above, the UFC has confirmed Donald Cerrone’s orbital bone is indeed broken from the fight. So how is an immediate rematch supposed to go down, even if we still wanted it to? As unsatisfying as the finish may have been for some, we need to let this one go. Donald Cerrone deserves a nice long vacation to heal up. And Tony Ferguson deserves to move onward and upwards … whatever that means in a division where 12 wins in a row doesn’t guarantee you a title shot.