Tony Ferguson’s return to the win column would not come on Bobby Green’s watch.
On the main card of UFC 291 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Green (30-14-1 MMA, 11-9-1 UFC) picked up his 30th professional victory against a former winner of “The Ultimate Fighter.” After picking apart Ferguson (25-9 MMA, 15-7 UFC) on the feet, Green locked in a submission at 4:54 of Round 3.
The initial exchanges saw Green dart in and out with strikes, which prompted Ferguson to look for a takedown to switch things up. Green was able to keep the fight standing, and they went back to trading punches and kicks in the center. Just when it appeared Green was mounting momentum, Ferguson dropped “King” with a well-timed right hand.
A moment after Green returned to his feet, his fingers were extended while trying to push off, creating an accidental eye poke that paused the fight. The doctor was brought in to assess the damage, but the fight resumed less than two minutes later. Sharp two-punch combinations led the way for Green until the horn sounded.
Early in Round 2, Green continued to pick off Ferguson with quick in-and-out strikes. Looking to get the fight to the canvas, Ferguson dove in at Green’s legs, but he ended up on the bottom eating big ground and pound. With about 90 seconds remaining, Green decided to stand up, and they exchanged on the feet for the rest of the frame.
The bloodied Ferguson continued to be on the receiving end of fast strikes from Green early in the third. Ferguson was able to finally connect with a clean right hand midway through the round, but Green responded soon after with more combinations. Undeterred, Ferguson continued to move forward looking to make something fight-changing happen.
Ferguson looked to roll for a leg, but Green was ready for it and took top position again. A moment later, he began hunting for an arm triangle submission, and steadily tightened his squeeze until Ferguson stopped moving.
BOBBY GREEN SUBMITS TONY FERGUSON! @BobbyKGreen gets the finish with seconds left at #UFC291! pic.twitter.com/HuRLRFYIRH
— UFC (@ufc) July 30, 2023
The finish was Green’s first submission win since 2013, when he finished Jacob Volkmann with a rear-naked choke at UFC 156.
Ferguson’s losing streak extends to six, as he remains winless since 2019. The former TUF winner has dropped consecutive outings to Justin Gaethje, Charles Oliveira, Beneil Dariush, Michael Chandler, Nate Diaz, and Green.
Up-to-the-minute UFC 291 results include:
- Bobby Green def. Tony Ferguson via submission (arm triangle choke) – Round 3, 4:54
- Kevin Holland def. Michael Chiesa via submission (D’Arce choke) – Round 1, 2:39
- Gabriel Bonfim def. Trevin Giles via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 1:13
- CJ Vergara def. Vinicius Salvador via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Roman Kopylov def. Claudio Ribeiro via knockout (head kick) – Round 2, 0:33
- Jake Matthews def. Darrius Flowers via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 2:37
- Uros Medic def. Matthew Semelsberger via TKO (elbow, punches) – Round 3, 2:36
- Miranda Maverick def. Priscila Cachoeira via submission (armbar) – Round 3, 2:11
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 291.
