Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
- Tony Furguson defeated Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone on Saturday night by TKO.
- Cerrone was forced to stop after his eye swelled shut to a point where he could no longer see.
- Furguson was clearly frustrated with how the fight had ended despite earning the win, and said he would be open to a rematch.
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One of the biggest fights of UFC 238 was cut unceremoniously short on Saturday night after Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone’s eye swelled shut to a point where he could not continue.
Cerrone’s lightweight bout against Tony Furguson started out as a slugfest, with both fighters trading heavy blows through the first round.
Between rounds, Cerrone attempted to blow his nose, which immediately made his already battered face swell up even worse.
With Cerrone unable to open his eye, he was forced to take the loss before the second round could even begin. Furguson was declared the winner by TKO.
Neither fighter was too pleased with the finish.
"I don’t quit. I don’t back down," Cerrone said after the fight. "I just wanted to keep fighting. I wanted to push the air back down."
Furguson was even more unhappy with the outcome, despite earning the win in the fight. "Let them get their boos in," he told Joe Rogan before beginning his post-fight interview, encouraging the crowd to continue voicing their disappointment.
"That’s not how I wanted it to go," Ferguson said. "No words. I don’t like to win that way."
Furguson added that he would be open to a rematch so the fight could find a more fitting conclusion in the future.
With the win, Furguson maintains his position as one of the top lightweight fighters in UFC.
Lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov is set to fight Dustin Poirier in September, and depending on the potential rematch with Cerrone, Furguson could be in a position to take on the winner of that fight for the title.
For Cerrone, it’s his first loss in four fights after winning three thrillers that saw the 36-year-old shoot back into contention near the top of the lightweight division.
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Source: Business Insider – feedback@businessinsider.com (Tyler Lauletta)