“I’m not paying attention to any of you f—ers. When it goes into it, this is my fight game,” Tony Ferguson told The Sun Sports ahead of his Misfits boxing debut against Salt Papi on August 30. Many doubted the former UFC interim lightweight champ, as he made a bold switch after closing out his MMA career on an eight-fight skid. But again, self-belief triumphed. Against all odds, ‘El Cucuy’ returned to the win column! And even in high emotions, the element of respect remained for his opponent.   

After the fight was done, the 41-year-old veteran praised Papi for stepping up and accepting the challenge. He told MMA Fighting, “Kid is tough as s—t. I mean, the guy has got b–s of steel for signing the dotted line. So, props to Salt Papi.” After acknowledging the Filipino boxer’s courage to go toe-to-toe with him, Ferguson chose to send his gloves as a gift—along with a heartfelt note.

Tony Ferguson gifts his Misfits gloves to Salt Papi 

Salt Papi uploaded a picture of ‘El Cucuy’s gloves on his Instagram story and wrote, “Thank you for the gloves, champ.” Ferguson later reposted it with a black-and-white photo of them rocking sunglasses, replying, “You have a heart of gold, kid. It takes b–s of steel to do what we did. You have my respect, sir — Tony.” Echoing the same words he shared before! And honestly, that exchange of respect after a grueling fight made the moment even more awesome.    

The gesture stood out because Ferguson’s UFC career ended on a bitter skid, yet here he showed humility and mentorship, something fans on Reddit and X highlighted as “vintage El Cucuy energy” — raw but honorable.

Well, it was a tough night for the 31-year-old Filipino, as Ferguson knocked him out at 2:43 of Round 3 to claim the MFB Interim Middleweight Title. But it’s not a stretch to say the fight became truly interesting when Papi started landing his left hand clean, before ‘El Cucuy’ tapped into his former self and picked him apart with sharp jabs and well-timed counter right hooks. However, while the former 155 lbs UFC interim champ is getting all the flowers for his win! Controversy over the stoppage has already begun. 

Although Misfits delivered some amazing scraps throughout the night, fans weren’t pleased with how certain fights played out. Following that pattern, many believe the referee stepped in far too early to stop the co-main event. Salt Papi, unsurprisingly, wasn’t happy with the stoppage and decided to share his side of what went down during the bout.

Salt Papi speaks out on the early stoppage in his Misfits clash against ‘El Cucuy’ 

Tony Ferguson had Salt Papi on the ropes in the third round, pouring on unanswered shots that left the Filipino struggling to fire back. But the referee has since come under fire for not giving Papi an 8-count and waving the fight off instead. Looking back, Salt admitted he felt the stoppage was early since he wasn’t out.

Speaking with Fred Talks Fighting, Papi said, “Yeah, I wasn’t hurt, but you know, it was the ref’s decision. I’m okay, I’m just glad. I’m happy, I’m safe!” And honestly, he didn’t look completely done while taking Ferguson’s barrage. Still, once the dust settled, he couldn’t help but admit that the UFC legend might be the most formidable opponent he’s ever faced.

Reflecting on the fight, he added, “I realized I was quick — quicker than him. But when I started hitting him with my best punches, the guy was still there. I gave him a cut on both sides, and he was still standing. He was like a Terminator. He’s definitely the toughest guy I’ve ever fought.” 

That’s definitely an honorable way to take a loss! Owning it while giving full credit to the opponent without hiding behind excuses. For Ferguson, the win doesn’t just end his losing streak — it reopens discussions on whether MMA veterans can reinvent themselves in crossover combat sports, a storyline Misfits promoters will no doubt lean on for future events.