Tony Ferguson stops Salt Papi in incredible finish to claim first win in six years on boxing debut at Misfits 22 as crowd erupts

Tony Ferguson stopped Salt Papi in dramatic style to claim his first boxing win on his professional debut at Misfits 22.

Ferguson snapped his combat sports losing skid in Manchester on Saturday night, with the referee stopping the contest after some beautiful combinations from the former UFC star in the third round.

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The 41-year-old MMA veteran looked the more composed fighter throughout the fight.

His game plan became evident as time ticked on and he stayed up close and personal with his TikTok star opponent, not allowing Salt Papi any room to explore his huge knockout power.

After a largely dull opening round, which mainly featured the crowd’s repeated chant of ‘El Cucuy’, as well as a scrap outside of the ring, both men entered the second stanza with their heads held high.

Salt Papi made his corner aware that he had hurt his thumb in the opening exchanges, but still managed to land some damaging shots on his experienced opponent.

Ferguson proved his chin was still there in the final moments of the bout, before pinning Salt Papi up against the ropes.

He proceeded to land several combinations and the referee quickly stepped in to stop the fight.

“One win changes everything,” Ferguson said after his remarkable win at the AO Arena, before thanking the Manchester crowd for their support.

Ferguson has fought a who’s who of the biggest stars in combat sports over the last 15 years.

He rolled back the years to claim victory, and it was the first time he had his hand raised since he defeated Donald Cerrone at UFC 238 in June 2019.

That was the Californian’s last victory in the UFC, before embarking on an eight-fight losing skid.

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But in his return to combat sports in the squared circle, ‘El Cucuy’ proved his career was far from over, silencing many of his doubters in the process.

Appearing on talkSPORT’s Drive ahead of his Misfits debut, the 41-year-old admitted that boxing was a sport he’d always wanted to explore.

“It was just a matter of time before I found myself inside the boxing ring,” Ferguson said.

Speaking on not getting the credit he deserves, Ferguson added: “No way.

“I’ve been doing interviews with guys who have watched me since they were 12 years old — now they’re 27 and interviewing me. 

“It’s a blessing to be able to go out and complete all these side quests.

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“What I did with MMA is I completed every single fight quest, side quest that you possibly could.

“From Fight of the Night, submission, knockout, win records, loss records, all these different types of things.

“I have a world championship belt, The Ultimate Fighter trophy. I have all of that, and it was just a matter of time before I wanted to switch sports.

“I wouldn’t say that I lost on purpose in the last couple of years, but the interest wasn’t there.

“I’m a multisport athlete, a very decorated multisport athlete, and it was just a matter of time for me to be able to be like, ‘Hey, you know what, guys, let’s part ways.”

Ferguson was meant to fight Dillon Danis, who contested Misfits’ first-ever MMA bout on Saturday night, under the GFL banner, before he signed with KSI’s promotion.

That fight never came to fruition after the promotion collapsed, but both men faced off in the ring at Misfits 22 ahead of a potential clash.

Danis had just secured a swift win over Warren Spencer in the previous fight, and the pair could meet next.

Ferguson has not closed the door on a return to mixed martial arts in the future, so it is a fight fans can expect to take place next.