Ferguson Suffered Fractured Orbital In Loss To Justin Gaethje

Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images

Tony Ferguson somehow stayed standing through his five round war with Justin Gaethje, but came out of the fight with a damaged orbital bone.

While UFC 249 didn’t go according to plan for Tony Ferguson, there’s no denying he’s one tough SOB. “El Cucuy” took all of Justin Gaethje’s hardest punches and kicks for 28 minutes before referee Herb Dean finally waved off the fight, making Gaethje the new interim lightweight champion.

Ferguson stuck around to give a post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, but that was it as far as statements went. UFC president Dana White reported “El Cucuy” was taken to the hospital shortly after, and now we have the butcher’s bill for all the damage he absorbed.

According to a tweet from Yahoo! Sports’ Kevin Iole, Ferguson suffered a fractured orbital bone in the fight.

There was no word on how severe the fracture is or how long Ferguson will be out. Injuries like this aren’t exactly uncommon in the UFC, and generally take anywhere from four months to a year to recover from depending on severity. And while Ferguson has been known to exhibit a superhuman ability to recover faster than others (see his six month turnaround after blowing out his knee as proof), there’s not much you can do about an orbital fracture other than give it surgery (if needed) and time.

While we’d love to see “El Cucuy” back in the Octagon sooner rather than later, here’s hoping he takes the time he needs to heal and recharge. We still need to see that damn Khabib vs. Ferguson fight sometime in the future, after all. And if this message sent from his Instagram is any indication, he hasn’t given up on winning that strap.

“Bushido ?Code,” Ferguson wrote. “Brought Sports Back W/ Class. #WayOfTheWarrior. Win or Lose Always Act Like A Champion! Just Wasn’t My Night!”