MMA News

Tag: Salt Papi

  • “Won A Fight In The Year 2025” – Fans Rejoice, Debate Stoppage As Tony Ferguson Breaks Long Losing Streak With TKO Of Salt Papi At Misfits Boxing 22

    “Won A Fight In The Year 2025” – Fans Rejoice, Debate Stoppage As Tony Ferguson Breaks Long Losing Streak With TKO Of Salt Papi At Misfits Boxing 22

    For the first time since 2019, Tony Ferguson got his hand raised in a fight, as he scored a third-round TKO of Nathaniel “Salt Papi” Bustamante in the co-main event of Misfits Boxing 22, claiming the promotion’s interim middleweight title.

    Ferguson tried to get going with pressure during the opening round, but Salt Papi connected with the cleaner shots. This continued with the second round. There, Ferguson landed more strikes, though Salt Papi notably crack Ferguson with an uppercut and landed a number of left hands.

    Ferguson managed to really pressure Salt Papi during the third round, working the jab and mixing up his attacks while Salt Papi tried to look to land power blows. Ferguson then turned things up, landing a series of strong shots on Salt Papi, prompting the referee to stop the fight — much to the chagrin and protests of Salt Papi and his corner.

    Tony Ferguson Scores Third-Round TKO Of Salt Papi At Misfits Boxing 22

    https://twitter.com/Pizza__Dad/status/1961914567820247264

    Ferguson, who was making his boxing debut, was once considered one of the best lightweights in MMA during his tenure with the UFC, which lasted from 2011 to 2024. Ferguson, who won season 13 of The Ultimate Fighter, went 15-1 in the UFC during the 2010s, which included 12 straight wins and a run as interim UFC lightweight champion. Ferguson’s MMA career, however, ended with eight straight losses, breaking the record for most consecutive losses in UFC history.

    Salt Papi came into this bout with a 6-2 exhibition boxing record, most of which have come in Misfits Boxing. Prior to tonight, his most recent fight came in November, scoring a third-round knockout of Kenny Ojuederie.

  • Filipino BKFC Fighter on Salt Papi Beef, Knows “Heโ€™ll Beat Tony Fergusonโ€ in Big MFB 22 Bout

    Filipino BKFC Fighter on Salt Papi Beef, Knows “Heโ€™ll Beat Tony Fergusonโ€ in Big MFB 22 Bout

    A surging Filipino-Canadian BKFC fighter has engaged in a bit of a back and forth with Salt Papi and also offered his thoughts on the influencer boxer’s next fight against a former interim UFC champion. Chad Lucanas discussed this on Bare Knuckle Bowker ahead of his clash with Tim Tamaki at BKFC Edmonton on August 9th. Later this month, Salt Papi will throw down with Tony Ferguson under Queensberry Rules for the MFB interim middleweight title on August 30th in Manchester.

    Lucanas had previously called out Salt Papi with the influencer boxer eventually blocking the BKFC combatant on Instagram amid their back and forth. When describing his history with the Filipino influencer boxer and also giving his thoughts on the upcoming sweet science showdown with Ferguson, Lucanas said,

    “I thought it was kind of funny, but yeah, I know he’ll beat Tony Ferguson. Like I believe he will because to me like out of all them, out of all those little influencer YouTube f***ers, I think Salt Papi is one of the best like I’ve seen in that league per se. Like to me, he’s entertaining. He’s Filipino. He’s got some skills and I look at it as just like a, you know what, if me and him were to fight, it would be so cool for the culture. Like I feel like it would be such a cool clash because like he’s a Filipino kid that grew up in the UK.”

    “I’m a Filipino kid that grew up in Canada. Also, we’re both southpaws, have nice left hands. He’s not bad. I think the dude is really not bad and outside of boxing, he’s f***in hilarious. But just for me it’s like, I think me and this guy would make such a show if we fought. Like it would be so crazy. It would be so cool for like the whole Filipino culture all around the world. It’d be such a cool clash. But he blocked my ass.”

    Salt Papi did block Chad Lucanas, but the latter quipped “I totally get it”

    When further addressing what he sees as an almost inevitable clash with Salt Papi someday, Lucanas continued,

    “So, I’ll get there though. I’mma get it. No, I’mma get it. Like for me it’s like okay, you block me that, means you know who I am. With a lot of people calling you out on comments, tagging me, tagging you, telling you to fight me, I get it. You looked at my page and was like, I don’t know if I want to f**k with this guy [laughs]. So, I totally get it. But wait till I find you one day in person. I’m calling you out right then and there.”

  • Tony Ferguson To Compete In Boxing Match Featured On Darren Till vs. Luke Rockhold Misfits 22 Card

    Tony Ferguson To Compete In Boxing Match Featured On Darren Till vs. Luke Rockhold Misfits 22 Card

    At 41, Tony Ferguson is set to pen the next chapter of his combat sports journey.

    Ferguson is scheduled to make his influencer boxing debut on August 30 at the AO Arena in Manchester, England where heโ€™ll square off against Salt Papi (real name Nathaniel Bustamante) for the MFB interim middleweight title, Misfits Boxing announced Wednesday.

    The matchup will serve as the co-main attraction of Misfits Boxing 22: ‘Ring of Thrones,’ headlined by a showdown between former UFC standouts Darren Till and Luke Rockhold for the MFB bridgerweight title.

    Till is gearing up for his third outing under the Misfits Boxing banner. Earlier this year, โ€œThe Gorillaโ€ picked up back-to-back wins over Anthony Taylor and Darren Stewart. Since parting ways with the UFC in February 2023, where he held a 6-5-1 record, the former welterweight title challenger has focused fully on boxing.

    Meanwhile, Rockhold is set to make his gloved boxing debut after testing the waters in bare-knuckle competition with BKFC in April 2023. He most recently competed at Karate Combat 45 in April 2024, where he earned a TKO victory over Joe Schilling. The former UFC middleweight champion parted ways with the promotion following a unanimous decision loss to Paulo Costa at UFC 278 in August 2022.

    When Was Tony Fergusonโ€™s Most Recent Bout?

    Tony Ferguson was once regarded as one of the most feared fighters in the UFC, having captured the interim lightweight title during a dominant 12-fight winning streak that solidified his place among the elite. However, the tide eventually turned, and he found himself on the wrong side of history, enduring a tough eight-fight skid.

    “El Cucuy” suffered a first-round submission loss to Michael Chiesa at UFC Abu Dhabi in August 2024, marking his final appearance under the UFC banner. Despite the setback, Tony Ferguson never seriously considered retirement. He initially signed with the Global Fight League for a bout against Dillon Danis, but the promotion folded before hosting its inaugural event.

    Tony Ferguson
    Image: UFC.com

    Meanwhile, Salt Papi is a standout in the influencer boxing world, having burst onto the scene with a pair of highlight-reel knockouts. The Filipino-born content creator holds a respectable 6-2 record.