On May 9, Justin Gaethje pulled off a major upset when he defeated Tony Ferguson in the fifth round via TKO. Not only did Gaethje win the interim lightweight championship, but he also snapped Ferguson’s 12-fight win streak.

What went wrong with Tony Ferguson?

Ferguson’s coach, Rashad Holloway, claims that the fighter was not as sharp as he would be. Pair that up with Gaethje’s perfect game plan, and there’s only one possible outcome – domination! Every time Tony tried to engage Gaethje, he was made to pay. He would get countered with devastating left hooks or a heavy right hand.

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“Tony was not as sharp sometimes as we usually see, but Tony was active. He was busy. Justin Gaethje just fought a hell of a fight,” Holloway said. “He fought a hell of a fight. He was able to capitalize on some of the mistakes Tony made.

“Tony fought Tony’s fight in some significance, but at the same time there were a lot of things he didn’t do, and I think that was due to Justin Gaethje putting on a good performance, and it just is what it is some nights.”

Ferguson’s abandoned game plan

Tony Ferguson had a significant reach advantage over Gaethje. Yet he did not use it correctly. Holloway said that the entire game plan revolved around Ferguson staying on the outside.

When talking to Helen Yee Sports, Holloway said, “Our whole game plan was to stay on the outside, strike, stay long, move to our right at all times,” Holloway added. “Tony did that at times. He didn’t do it as much as I wanted him at times, but Tony’s Tony.

“Tony likes to engage, Tony likes to bang, and that’s what makes Tony Tony at the same time. He did a lot of that.”

Holloway claimed that Tony found more success in the early rounds because of his movements. He wanted his fighter to move around a bit more.

“I think I would have liked to see Tony use his feet a little bit more. Tony did some good things at the beginning of the fight, like when he stayed long. He did very well in keeping Justin off balance, a lot of good leg kicks.”

Coach explains why Ferguson didn’t attempt a takedown

Ferguson is known for his dangerous rubber guard. He can dish out heavy punishment and sneak in submissions from the bottom. However, his coach said that taking down Gaethje is not a straightforward task.

“Of course, we all wanna see Tony on the ground more with Gaethje – more submissions, more jiu-jitsu – but at the same time, Gaethje makes it hard. You look at all of Gaethje’s fights, Gaethje doesn’t let anyone take him to the ground. He does a good job of that.”