Quiet Streak Continues
The UFC is full of the best fighters in the world there is little doubt that their roster is by far the best.
It doesn’t come close in other promotions and that is told when champions from other promotions step in and struggle to even get to a title fight in the UFC.
That can make it tough to get some attention though as really good fighters not only need to be good but must also be exciting.
It makes life easier for a fighter if you can be exciting and bring the crowd to its feet as these type of fighters always stick around.
They could lose multiple fights in a row but as long as they are going out and putting on a show they will remain a big draw for the UFC.
Even being exciting can sometimes not be enough for a fighter to get the recognition they deserve.
That is currently happening to two fighters in the UFC who have put together amazing runs that nobody is talking about.
In the featherweight division, Max Holloway has put together 9 straight wins in what has become a tough division in the UFC.
There is a general rule in the UFC, albeit unwritten, that around 5 straight wins is the time when a fighter gets a chance at a title shot.
Putting together five straight wins is no easy task and doing it usually puts someone into the title conversation quickly.
Putting together nine straight wins is something entirely different as the top win streak in UFC history is 12 straight held by Anderson Silva, with almost all of them coming as a champion.
Holloway is working on one of the longest win streaks in the UFC and yet still hasn’t received his chance to fight for a title.
In fact, when talking about the best fighters in the division, Holloway is an afterthought and only to those who truly follow the UFC and know about his wins streak.
He continues to fight and beat everyone the UFC throws at him all the while never getting a shot at the featherweight title, although that is partly because Conor McGregor continues to hold up the division.
Holloway is not alone though as there is another fighter who has put together an amazing winning streak but has not been mentioned as a top fighter.
A big reason for that is the fact that Tony Ferguson is part of one of the most talented divisions in the UFC.
There are countless stars who have come through the lightweight division and for Ferguson that usually means he is overshadowed by bigger names.
Despite most fans not knowing him as well as other lightweights, he has put up a total of 8 straight wins.
He has had issues with injuries both to himself and to his opponents and that has kept him out of the limelight that he might have been able to get.
Ferguson has quietly put together one of the longest win streaks in the UFC and nobody seems to care about it.
That changed at UFC Fight Night 98 though when Ferguson got the main event spot against his biggest challenge he had faced to this point in his career.
That challenge was the former champion in the lightweight division, Rafael dos Anjos, who was fresh off of his first loss in the UFC and the loss of his UFC belt.
The fight was the biggest of Ferguson’s career as the winner was likely the next challenger for the lightweight title after UFC 205.
For Ferguson, there had never been a clearer path straight to the lightweight title and putting up his ninth win in a row provided that path.
Beating the one of the best in the world and a former champion would be sure to raise the name of Ferguson into the ranks of true title challengers.
A loss would be proof of why he never did get a shot at the title while for dos Anjos it was a chance to get back to the title fight after losing a belt that many ever thought he would lose.
The match-up was one between an orthodox fighter who had the power and submission ability to win a title against an unorthodox fighter who wins fights by doing things that nobody expects.
It was going to be a challenge for both and it certainly matched the expectations as the fight was very close.
The two styles were in clear contrast the entire fight as it seemed like dos Anjos was waiting to land the big shot and knock out Ferguson while Ferguson was content with volume.
The former champion did get his shots in as he hit Ferguson with some massive punches but he couldn’t finish the fight.
Ferguson meanwhile, continued to land a number of punches and took control of the fight.
That strategy paid off for Ferguson as he took the unanimous decision fight avoiding the knockout that could have been and instead winning rounds against a former champion.
For dos Anjos, it seems like his unbeatable aura is completely gone and whether or not that has something to do with the USADA testing or not is up for debate.
For Ferguson, it was the chance he wanted and he took advantage as he will watch UFC 205 next weekend to see who he might fight for the lightweight title as his ninth straight win should earn him the title shot he has been fighting for over his career.
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