WATCH: When Tony Ferguson Bounced Back With a Lethal Submission Win

In 2013, Tony Ferguson went three fights in a row where he took less than two minutes to end up on the winning side.

It was October 2013, when Ferguson was to fight Mike Rio in the Facebook prelims for UFC 166. While it was the fifth UFC fight for Tony Ferguson, Rio was only his second UFC fight.

Ferguson was coming into the fight after being one and a half years on the bench.

Rio, looking for his first UFC win, looked to dominate from the onset, but Ferguson was ready for it. Not even two minutes into the fight, when Rio went for a takedown, Ferguson locked him on a D’arce choke to finish the fight.

At 1:52 of Round 1, Tony Ferguson submitted Mike Rio. The submission got a bonus award for the Submission of the night and was awarded $60,000.

Relive the fight-

Tony Ferguson now a dangerous opponent

Ferguson will now be entering his 12th year as a pro fighter. He has fought 28 fights in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), losing just thrice.

Eight of his 25 wins have come from submission, while 12 from Knockouts.

His performances have now made Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s father come out and state that he would be a dangerous opponent to his son. In a recent interview, Khabib’s father, Abdulmanap, was asked if Justin Gaethje was a more dangerous opponent than Ferguson, to which he replied: “I doubt it. In a potential fight with Gaethje, in a matter of 12-13 minutes it will be clear who’ll win the fight. With Ferguson, we might have to go twenty-five minutes to determine that.”

Also read: Watch: Jon Jones Knocks Out His Opponent in 36 Seconds with One Punch

“His endurance, his jab, his chokes,” he said when asked about the best aspects of Ferguson’s game. “His elbows and ability to open cuts. Ferguson goes all out and fights until the end.”