The middle bout of the UFC 238 main card — and perhaps the most anticipated feature of the card overall — occurred in the lightweight division, where top contenders Tony Ferguson and Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone met in a contest that had fans salivating from the moment it was announced.

Tony Ferguson entered this matchup on an incredible, 11-fight win-streak. “El Cucuy” has long stood out as the top contender in the UFC lightweight division, but thanks to a long series of bad breaks, has yet to receive a shot at the undisputed title. He looked to change that in this fight.

Donald Cerrone, on the other hand, looked to extend his win-streak to four, and stake his own claim to a shot at the lightweight title with a win over one of the division’s top dogs. The fan favorite gunslinger spent the last few years competing in the welterweight division, but entered this fight arguably one win away from a lightweight title shot.

Round one unfurled entirely on the feet. It was an undeniably close five minutes, as the pair traded jabs, Cerrone landed some nice kicks, and Ferguson landed all kinds of his patented weirdness. Cerrone appeared to rattle Ferguson as the round concluded, but “El Cucuy” survived until the bell.

Round two started fast, delivering everything we expected from this matchup. The two lightweight contenders pummelled each other with all manner of strikes — including one that seemed to damage Cerrone’s nose.

Both fighters landed well, but as the round wore on, Tony Ferguson seemed to land the better punches, doing visibly more damage. Unfortunately, the round ended with Ferguson landing a late punch after bell.

Between the second and third rounds, Donald Cerrone blew his nose — a major no-no for those with damaged noses. Just like that, his eye inflated like a birthday balloon, and the fight was waved off for his safety.

The result was a TKO victory for Tony Ferguson.

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 6/8/2019.