Tony Ferguson batters Rafael dos Anjos to edge closer to lightweight title shot

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Tony Ferguson batters Rafael dos Anjos to edge closer to lightweight title shot
 
THE Tony Ferguson steam train just keeps on rolling.
 
 Ferguson recorded the biggest win of his career in the main event of UFC Fight Night 98 against former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos in the early hours of the morning.
 
 The 32-year-old Californian dominated dos Anjos for five rounds with crisp and vicious striking to earn a unanimous-decision victory.
 
 Dos Anjos, who went into the bout on the back of a loss to Eddie Alvarez, started the contest brightly and caused Ferguson a number of problems with a series of brutal leg kicks and straight lefts.
 
 Ferguson weathered the storm and took full control of the fight in the second period, a round which saw him open up dos Anjos’ face with a vicious left hook.
 
 Dos Anjos was never the same after being split open and began to lose the majority of exchanges afterwards.
 
 Ferguson landed a staggering 187 significant strikes during the fight, which was more than enough to earn him his 22nd career victory.
 
 ‘El Cucuy’s' win over dos Anjos was his ninth in a row, the longest win streak in UFC lightweight history.
 
 And it should at the very least put him in the running for a crack at the lightweight title, which Alvarez will defend against Conor McGregor in the main event of UFC 205 next Saturday.
 
 Dos Anjos, who has now lost his last two fights on the bounce, was bitterly disappointed with his performance but was full of praise for his opponent.
 
 “Tony was a better fighter tonight,” he admitted after the fight.
 
 “I felt like his fingers in my eye bothered me in the second. But that’s not an excuse.
 
 “Tony did a great job. He was a better fighter today.”