Tony Ferguson’s boxing debut against Tik Tok star Salt Papi ended in a vicious third round KO tonight at the AO Arena in Manchester.
The former UFC interim lightweight champion had been on a lengthy losing skid before finally leaving the promotion, and was initially slated to return against Dillon Danis under the GFL banner. However, when that fell through he pivoted to Misfits Boxing.
There, he was matched with the fast-rising and beloved Tik Tok star Salt Papi. The Filipino sensation was coming off three stoppage wins in a row, but had lost his previous effort against an MMA fighter in Anthony Taylor in 2023.
Photo by Ben Roberts Photo/Getty ImagesTony Ferguson vs Salt Papi result
Tony Ferguson, sporting a new hairline, looked a brand new man as he entered the ring and stalked Salt Papi in the opening exchanges. Neither landed anything of major note in the opening minute, but as the MMA legend began to open up, so too did the Tik Tokker’s counter-punching.
They headed into the second with little between them, although it did look that at any given moment a famous Salt Papi counter hook could arrive and end the night. The second started with the pair trading in the pocket, which was beneficial for Papi.
Both men landed big clean shots to start the third, with Ferguson seemingly coming into the fight the longer it was going. And halfway through the round, the UFC legend got Papi against the ropes and tee’d off, forcing a stoppage!
Dillon Danis scored 15-second win on undercard of Tony Ferguson vs Dillon Danis
Right before the excitement of Ferguson and Papi’s clash, we saw Dillon Danis make his return to MMA action. It didn’t take long for him to submit white belt Warren Spencer, who strangely decided to get into a clinch that allowed himself to be taken down and tapped within seconds.
The controversial former Bellator star was immediately met with a much bigger challenge, the super-heavyweight former World’s Strongest Man Eddie Hall. The pair seemed to agree to fight, should the strongman make it under 300lb for the first time in years.
It was an exciting end to an otherwise drab undercard, which only really featured one other major highlight. Reality TV star Joey Essex defeated Portuguese influencer Numeiro in a back-and-forth brawl branded ‘the crap Hagler Hearns’.