UFC 216 went down tonight (Saturday, October 7, 2017) from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The night was headlined by a championship doubleheader as Tony Ferguson and Kevin Lee vied for the interim lightweight strap and Demetrious Johnson sought to make history with his record eleventh-straight title defense against Ray Borg. Both fights provided scintillating finishes.
Ferguson dropped the first round as he struggled to find his rhythm. Lee had no such trouble, tagging “El Cucuy”, taking him down, and landing solid shots on the mat. Ferguson seemed to start taking back the momentum in round two from a tiring Lee, landing better shots on the feet and staving off Lee’s grappling advances.
In the third, Lee was once again able to take Ferguson down but quickly found himself in trouble. Ferguson slapped on an armbar that looked extremely tight, but Lee stepped over and escaped. But Ferguson snared him in a triangle a few moments later, and there would be no escape for Lee this time, who nearly went out before being rescued by the referee. The win marked Ferguson’s tenth straight at lightweight, extending his own division-best streak.
Johnson made history in the co-main event, and he did it with style points. His fight with the 24-year-old Borg became increasingly more one-sided as it deepened. Borg is a phenomenal athlete and scrambler, but that also happens to be where DJ is perhaps the best ever. Johnson reversed takedown after takedown from the challenger and applied unceasing pressure from top position. Whenever Borg managed to get back to his feet, Johnson would drag him back down and resume his assault.
In the fifth, well ahead on the scorecards with multiple 10-8 rounds possibly already banked, Johnson finally went for the kill. He hit a belly-to-back suplex and transitioned to an armbar while Borg was still in the air. He latched onto the arm, stepped across Borg’s face, and extended the arm, eliciting the tap after a brief struggle. It was one of the most impressive finishes in MMA history and cemented DJ as one of the best ever.
See how Twitter reacted to these wild finishes below:
Here is a close up of what DC and Joe are questioning on Lee's chest. #UF216 pic.twitter.com/jJj7Az3UYu
— Ian McCall (@Unclecreepymma) October 8, 2017
Fergilious def!
— RJ Clifford (@RJcliffordMMA) October 8, 2017
Nice fight guys! Great build up. And great show! #UFC216
— Derek Brunson (@DerekBrunson) October 8, 2017
Wow. That was an incredible fight. And an incredible night of fights.
— Connor Ruebusch (@BoxingBusch) October 8, 2017
Kevin Lee began crying immediately after the loss.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) October 8, 2017
Some gritty af grappling from Tony Ferguson. Wow, what a hard-earned win. #UFC216
— Yellow Power Ranger (@Sugarhigh5me) October 8, 2017
Hot Takes: "Tony gets hit too much early! Conor KOs him in one!"
"Dancing Tony is relentless and Conor has no cardio! Tony all day!"
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) October 8, 2017
Experience. Ferguson was likely down in the cards, even losing that last round. But he kept on and outlasted Lee.
— Anton Tabuena (@antontabuena) October 8, 2017
At long last, Tony Ferguson is your interim lightweight champion #UFC216 @TonyFergusonXT pic.twitter.com/neGyN1Awc1
— Mike Dyce (@mikedyce) October 8, 2017
Tony Ferguson: interim lightweight champ. That guy is never out of a fight unless you put him out.
— Ben Fowlkes (@benfowlkesMMA) October 8, 2017
That gas tank is not PHENOMenal. #UFC216
— Stephie Haynes (@CrooklynMMA) October 8, 2017
. @TonyFergusonXT is the first ever lightweight @ufc interim champ. Experience was the difference here. #UFC216
— Kenny Florian (@kennyflorian) October 8, 2017
10 fight win streak. El Cucuy is a bad motherfucker. #UFC216 pic.twitter.com/F3TMDr2Ywd
— MMA GIFS (@mma_gifs_) October 8, 2017
Beautiful. I'm already looking forward to their rematch. #ElCucuy #MotownPhenom #UFC216
— Dan Hardy (@danhardymma) October 8, 2017
Ferguson is just a swiss army knife of weird deadly shit. Shows he's not just a topside sub guy with a tight armbar and a brutal triangle.
— Phil Mackenzie (@EvilGregJackson) October 8, 2017
Really fun main event @TonyFergusonXT and @MoTownPhenom congrats fellas #UFC216
— Brian Stann (@BrianStann) October 8, 2017
#ufc216 pic.twitter.com/5zgRkd0OA2
— Zombie Prophet (@ZPGIFs) October 8, 2017
Ferguson: Where you at McNugget, you fucking piece of shit? I’m gonna kick your ass! #UFC216
— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) October 8, 2017
"WHERE YOU AT MCNUGGETS YOU FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT!? DEFEND OR VACATE MOTHERFUCKER!" – Tony Ferguson's call out of Conor McGregor. #UFC216
— Justin Golightly (@SecretMovesMMA) October 8, 2017
Demetrious Johnson making the ring walk to history. Eleven straight title defenses is quite a number.
— Josh Gross (@yay_yee) October 8, 2017
The Tazmexican Devil vs Speedy Gonzalez. This fight should be Looney Toons. #UFC216 pic.twitter.com/l0amAoKqhG
— Justin Golightly (@SecretMovesMMA) October 8, 2017
Delayed but not denied. Demetrious Johnson and Ray Borg finally have their title fight next. Lots of big-time history at stake for DJ here.
— Mike Bohn (@MikeBohnMMA) October 8, 2017
Demetrious Johnson out to "Who Gon Stop Me" by Jay-Z and Kanye West#UFC216
— Damon Martin (@DamonMartin) October 8, 2017
Bald head don’t care, Demetrious Johnson ???? #UFC216
— Derek Brunson (@DerekBrunson) October 8, 2017
It's Mouse time!!! #ufc216 pic.twitter.com/kMP85bv4S9
— The Spartan (@EliasTheodorou) October 8, 2017
I don’t see Borg going the distance. Johnson is a master planner. Could certainly drag Borg into the 4th and drown him if he wants.
— Andreas Hale (@AndreasHale) October 8, 2017
DJ is about to make history. #UFC216 #BlackExcellence
— Will Brooks (@ILLxWillBrooks) October 8, 2017
Excited to watch the GOAT @MightyMouseUFC go to work! #UFC216
— Stipe Miocic (@stipemiocicufc) October 8, 2017
DJ is the P4P best in the world, but Borg isn't going to be a pushover. He's very underrated, IMO. #UFC216
— Iain Kidd (@iainkidd) October 8, 2017
LET'S GO!!#UFC216 pic.twitter.com/DRdy8tMkiy
— UFC (@ufc) October 8, 2017
A "MIghty Mouse" chant??? Finally, the people are recognizing! #UFC216
— The Spartan (@EliasTheodorou) October 8, 2017
Demetrious Johnson literally had a shutout 1st round. Borg didn't land a single strike. Crazy. #UFC216
— Mike Chiappetta MMA (@MikeChiappetta) October 8, 2017
Demetrious Johnson is good at MMA
— Phil Mackenzie (@EvilGregJackson) October 8, 2017
Demetrious' counter in the scramble into mount. #UFC216 pic.twitter.com/dG2qVOvs5D
— Obviously Fight Talk (@talk_fight) October 8, 2017
UH OH @TazMexUFC gets Johnson's back, but @MightyMouseUFC shakes him off and ends up on top!!#UFC216 pic.twitter.com/tpPkfqHJZ8
— UFC (@ufc) October 8, 2017
DJ is so confident that he can defend the guillotine that he's trying to bait it to step over into side control. #UFC216
— Patrick Wyman (@Patrick_Wyman) October 8, 2017
Johnson moves so fast but he knows where every limb is supposed to be. Always in control. Never wasting energy.
— Andreas Hale (@AndreasHale) October 8, 2017
DJ has made Borg fight to survive — not fight to win. It's a matter of not getting submitted by Borg. DJ is hunting now #UFC216
— Kel Dansby (@KelDansby) October 8, 2017
Demetrious Johnson seemingly inventing new ways to inflict damage mid-fight. It does not get more one-sided than this.
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) October 8, 2017
Submission of the year right there. Congrats, DJ.
— Guilherme Cruz (@guicruzzz) October 8, 2017
Slam to armbar, that's like the submission equivalent of the Showtime kick. That's how to break a record in style. DJ you so crazy. #UFC216
— Mike Chiappetta MMA (@MikeChiappetta) October 8, 2017
That might be the best thing I've ever seen in MMA. Fucking amazing.
— Seán Sheehan (@SeanSheehanBA) October 8, 2017
Ronda Rousey with armbar cotttt damn. #UFC216
— Derek Brunson (@DerekBrunson) October 8, 2017
That was a stamp on history. A mid air armbar.
— MMA History Today (@MMAHistoryToday) October 8, 2017
It was a gnarly armbar too. This wasn't, like, a style points armbar. Sub of the freaking Decade.
— Bleacher Report MMA (@BR_MMA) October 8, 2017
Rear waistlock slam into a nearside armbar, tapping a top-5 fighter on a whim, at will. Demetrious Johnson is from another goddamn planet.
— Jordan Breen (@jordanbreen) October 8, 2017
PLEASE GIVE DEMETRIOUS JOHNSON ALL OF THE POST FIGHT BONUSES. LIKE, FOR THE REST OF FUCKING TIME.
— BOO!zanne Davis (@SoozieCuzie) October 8, 2017
Hats off to Borg for trying his best to fight out of that arm bar. Most men would've tapped as soon as it was slapped on! #UFC216
— Aljamain Sterling (@FunkMaster_UFC) October 8, 2017
That was insane #UFC216
— Megan Olivi (@MeganOlivi) October 8, 2017
Sweet Jesus. What a way to break Anderson Silva's title defense record. Greatest submission in @ufc history and p4p great #UFC216 pic.twitter.com/Vnn43LSllx
— Brendan Schaub (@BrendanSchaub) October 8, 2017
— Cub Swanson (@CubSwanson) October 8, 2017
DJ CAUGHT THE ARMBAR WHILE BORG WAS IN THE AIR!! #UFC216 pic.twitter.com/r9O3zbyTZT
— Jonathan Bradley (@Jon__Bradley) October 8, 2017
Not only the winningest champion ever but not a slip-up in or out of the cage. Never embarsssed the sport. Quintessential pro. Champion of a person. Glad to see DJ finally getting his due.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) October 8, 2017
Along with Ryo Chonan’s flying scissor heel hook of Anderson Silva (irony much?)that was the slickest submission I’ve ever seen in MMA.
— Mauro Ranallo (@mauroranallo) October 8, 2017
Never seen anything like this what a way to break Anderson Silvia's record #UFC216 (h/t @Jonnyboy_6969) pic.twitter.com/Rp5TA1jJqb
— Tony Fagnano (@BigToneMMA) October 8, 2017
MMA doesn't deserve Demetrious Johnson
— Jack (@SherdogRewind) October 8, 2017
Lizard swag. #UFC216 pic.twitter.com/QnY9KsNMja
— MiddleEasy (@MiddleEasy) October 8, 2017
Fuck your most brain-damaging knock-outs. Fuck 'em all. Gimme that suplex-armbar any day. #UFC216
— Yellow Power Ranger (@Sugarhigh5me) October 8, 2017
Slam to armbar, transitions in the air.
Madness.#UFC216 pic.twitter.com/veEPKuDfdG
— Jonnyboy (@Jonnyboy_6969) October 8, 2017
The post Twitter Reacts To Submission-Packed UFC 216 appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.