Bonus Coverage | UFC Fight Night: Santos vs Hill

Fight Of The Night: Thiago Santos vs Jamahal Hill

In the main event, Jamahal Hill survived an initial onslaught of heavy punches and takedowns from Thiago Santos, eventually breaking him down over four rounds and earning the TKO victory.

View Jamahal Hill's Post-Fight Interview

Despite finishing past opponents far cleaner, a back-and-forth battle is just what Hill needed as he propels toward the top of the light heavyweight division and could potentially face former champion Jan Blachowicz, who he called out post-fight.

Performance Of The Night: Geoff Neal

In a fight that striking fans have been dreaming of for years, Geoff Neal delivered his most impressive performance to date, defeating No. 6 Vicente Luque by knockout in Round 3.

View Geoff Neal's Post-Fight Interview

It didn’t take long for Neal to let his hands fly, swarming Luque with heavy strikes early and often that visibly damaged "The Silent Assassin". Executing a lot of patience, Neal didn’t charge in for the finish, and bided his time until he could eventually drop Luque for the third and final time of the night at 2:01 of Round 3.

Performance Of The Night: Mohammed Usman

On the biggest stage of his professional mixed martial arts career, Mohammed Usman shined in his The Ultimate Fighter Season 30 finale against Zac Pauga. After a close first round that offered little to no insight on the future of the bout, it took 36 seconds into round 2 for Usman to shut the lights out.

View Mohammed Usman's Post-Fight Interview

Landing a check left hook, Pauga was out on his feet before Usman landed the final blows of the bout that sealed the deal. Usman’s victory makes him an interesting proposition for UFC heavyweight contenders.

Performance Of The Night: Bryan Battle 

On a night where The Ultimate Fighter had its two finals showcased on prime time, the TUF 29 winner Bryan Battle stunned the APEX crowd with a jaw dropping 44 second, head kick knockout against Takashi Sato.

Watch Battle's Head Kick Knockout

With the highlight reel finish, Battle extends his UFC win streak to three and sends a message to the welterweight division that he's a rising contender eager to rise the ranks.  

Fight Of The Night: Brandon Moreno vs Kai Kara-France

A rematch nearly three years in the making concluded with Mexico's Brandon Moreno claiming his spot as the interim UFC flyweight champion following a third-round finish over Kai Kara-France of New Zealand.

After a back-and-forth first round, Moreno did solid work of evading Kara-France's pressure and right hand to advance to an exciting third round. In the third, Moreno was cut under his eye by the Kiwi following a sweep and short sequence of heavy ground-and-pound strikes, but it didn't stop him from landing a perfect kick flush to the liver, dropping Kara-France before finishing him off with strikes from the top before referee Herb Dean stepped in with just 26 seconds to go in the third round.

A potential fourth fight in the Moreno-Figueiredo saga was set up inside the Octagon when the undisputed flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo joined Moreno for a short but respectful faceoff, adding that he'd like to unify the flyweight division in his native Brazil.

Performance Of The Night: Alexandre Pantoja

With interim flyweight gold on the line later in the night, Alexandre Pantoja staked his claim at a crack at the title himself when he blitzed Alex Perez and sunk in a first-round submission less than two minutes into the opening frame.

From the jump, Pantoja jumped on Perez, peppering him with punch and swarming him wholly. Soon, Perez backed up and Pantoja executed a beautiful back-take, locking in the body triangle while Perez stood against the cage and focused on fighting hands. Pantoja remained furious in his attempts to finish the fight, and locked in a rear naked choke that wasn’t under the chin but put enough pressure on Perez’s jaw and neck to get the tapout victory.

Performance Of The Night: Drew Dober

Colorado’s Drew Dober said he always brings his chin and his heavy left hand to the Octagon, and he also relied on his grittiness to get a knockout win over Rafael Alves in the third round.

After weathering the early storm from the explosive Alves, Dober started to work Alves’ body as the Brazilian tired. Although Alves slugged it out with Dober to end the second, Dober clearly had gained momentum and control of the fight. The high pace continued in the third round, and seemingly out of nowhere, Dober connected with a perfectly placed left hook to the body that melted Alves and earned Dober another stoppage victory.

Performance Of The Night: Paddy Pimblett

Paddy Pimblett delivered an exhilarating performance for the London crowd once again, submitting Jordan Leavitt in the second round.

Earning his second consecutive submission and third finish inside the Octagon, the fan-favorite continues to look better each time he makes the walk. Putting on the pressure early, Pimblett tried numerous submission attempts, dragging Leavitt to the mat. In the second round, Pimblett landed a hard knee while looking for a submission and dragged Leavitt to the ground. Quickly taking his back, Pimblett locked in the rear naked choke that forced the tap from his opponent.

Performance Of The Night: Molly McCann

In her second trip to London this year, Molly McCann earned her second knockout victory. Landing heavy strikes early and often, it wouldn’t take long for McCann to damage Hannah Goldy.

Backing Goldy up against the cage, McCann landed a spinning back elbow that stunned her opponent. "Meatball" followed up with a barrage of strikes that stopped the fight at 3:52 of the first round.

Performance Of The Night: Nikita Krylov

Nikita Krylov made quick work of UFC Hall of Famer and two-time light heavyweight title challenger Alexander Gustaffson in just over a minute.

Dropping Gustaffson in the opening seconds, Krylov showed an instant advantage on the feet. Despite Gustaffson briefly getting back to his feet, Krylov kept up the pace and secured his second knockdown soon after. Following up with a barrage of heavy ground-and-pound strikes, there was no choice but for referee Marc Goddard to stop the fight.

Performance Of The Night: Jonathan Pierce

After a first round that saw Makwan Amirkhani find slight success securing takedowns, Jonathan Pierce withstood the pressure and started to sway the momentum in the second frame.

Losing the striking battle on the feet, Pearce took Amirkhani down and found success through a barrage of punches and knees. Returning to the mat later in the round, Pearce stayed in control with his striking, landing relentless strikes until the bout was stopped at 4:10 of round 2.

Fight Of The Night: Matt Schnell vs Sumudaerji

Matt Schnell vs Sumdaerji is one of those fights we’ll be talking about for a long, long time. Both flyweights went right to it, with both fighters finding success on the feet and on the canvas. But it was the second round where things went from intense to insane.

Sumaderji started connecting with massive power shots in the center of the Octagon, including elbows in the clinch that made Schnell lose the stability in his legs on more than one occasion. Despite the damage Schnell never backed down, as a matter of fact he chose to walk through Sumaderji’s punches and elbows until was able to connect with his own haymakers.

He then secured a well-timed takedown and immediately mounted and started pouring on strikes. This forced Sumudaerji to scramble and end up in top position, where Schnell tossed up a triangle choke that would put Sumudaerji out.

It was beyond wild, and it was all heart from both fighters ‘til the end. What a scrap.

Performance Of The Night: Amanda Lemos

A statement performance was exactly what strawweight contender Amanda Lemos needed and it’s exactly what she accomplished against Michelle Waterson-Gomez at UFC Fight Night: Ortega vs Rodriguez.

Lemos settled in nicely against Waterson-Gomez, finding her range and looking dangerous on the feet in the first round. In the second round she took advantage of a Waterson-Gomez take down and secured a deep guillotine that would force Waterson-Gomez to tap. It was a brilliant submission and showed just how well-rounded and talented Lemos is.

Performance Of The Night: Li Jingliang

Li Jingliang found a home for his right hand and landed back in the win column by knocking out Muslim Salikhov. It was a competitive bout for the welterweights until Li broke through connecting on a perfect shot that put Salikhov off-balance. Li pressued Salikhov but took his time setting up the knockout shot that dropped Salikhov for good.

With the performance, “The Leech” reminded the world once again why he’s a fan favorite.

Performance Of The Night: Punahele Soriano

When fans see Punahele Soriano on a card, they should just expect a show.

Soriano and Dalcha Lungiambula brought it in the first frame of their middleweight showdown. Early in the second round Soriano threw a massive left hand that made Lungiambula crumble. He followed it up with a few extra strikes and referee Dan Miragliotta stepped in.

After two losses in a row it was the perfect showing for Soriano, who hopes to get back in the Octagon before 2022 comes to an end.

Performance of the Night: Ricky Simon

Ricky Simon was an underdog entering his UFC Fight Night: Ortega vs Rodriguez bout with rising undefeated prospect Jack Shore. That didn’t sit well with him, so he made sure to show why people need to be putting some more respect on his name.

Simon used his grappling to set up some power strikes that would go on to hurt Shore in the second round. Simon pounced, quickly sinking in an arm triangle choke that forced Shore to accept his first defeat.

It was a statement performance for Simon, who is more than deserving of a big fight in the talented bantamweight division.

Performance of the Night: Bill Algeo

Two weeks ago Bill Algeo had to deal with an opponent change after Bill Quarantillo was forced out of their match-up due to injury. That didn’t stop Algeo from putting on an impressive performance with late replacement Herbert Burns.

Algeo survived a quick takedown and submission attempt from Burns in the first round but then flipped the script. Algeo dominated Burns for the remainder of the round, connecting with big ground and pound shots. At the end of the round Burns barely was able to get up and make it back to his corner.

To start the second Algeo put his foot on the gas and pressured Burns back down to the canvas and after some more landed strikes, Burns was no able to return to his feet. It was a strange finish to the fight but it didn’t take away anything from Algeo, who has made a real name for himself in the featherweight division.

Performance of the Night: Dustin Jacoby

Don’t look now, but Dustin Jacoby’s unbeaten streak sits at seven. The UFC light heavyweight has walked through adversity on his way to a top 15 ranking and establishing himself as a real player at 205lbs.

Jacoby’s blistering KO of Da Un Jung was an impressive one and sets him up perfectly for a big fight the next time we see him walk to the Octagon.

Fight Of The Night: Michael Johnson vs Jamie Mullarkey

Two fighters who consistently provide fans with thrilling bouts delivered as they stepped in the cage to open up the main card. 

Late in the first round, Michael Johnson dropped Jamie Mullarkey with a hard left hand, but Mullarkey was able to recover quickly and earn a knockdown of his own moments later to close out the opening five minutes. As time went on, Mullarkey hit his stride, landing accurate strikes with volume while evading power shots from Johnson. In the final round, both fighters slugged it out, but it was Mullarkey who came away with a close split-decision victory. 

Performance Of The Night: Rafael Fiziev

In the main event Rafael Fiziev proved that he belongs in the UFC lightweight division's top-10, defeating former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos by TKO in round 5. 

Showing off exceptional striking skills through three rounds, Fiziev consistently landed the harder strikes more often than his opponent. Heading into the fourth and fifth rounds, dos Anjos' durability and cardio started to shift the fight in his favor. However, Fiziev's power carried into the final round, dropping dos Anjos with a left hook. Jumping on top and landing ground-and-pound, Fiziev closed the show before the the fight went to the judges. 

Performance Of The Night: Chase Sherman

In the only heavyweight fight on the card, Chase Sherman vs Jared Vanderra delivered fast-paced action for as long as it lasted.

Heading into the bout on a four fight skid, Sherman showed technical striking, hurting Vanderra often with heavy shots. As both fighters were finding their timing, Sherman finally rocked Vanderaa and swarmed him up against the cage, unloading on his opponent until referee Mark Smith stopped the fight. 

Fight Of The Night: Bryan Barberena vs Robbie Lawler

At the UFC 276 press conference Bryan Barberena told the crowd that despite a stacked card, his welterweight bout with Robbie Lawler would be Fight of the Night. "Bam Bam" was dead on.

RELATED: Bryan Barberena's Post-Fight Interview | Bryan Barberena's Octagon Interview

For as long as it lasted, these two delivered a non-stop brawl in a phonebooth. Lawler found success early and often, landing huge shorts that caused significant damage to Barberena. But no matter what he hit Barberena with, he couldn't drop the diamond chinned farmer. Barberena turned on the heat in the second, connecting with massive elbows that put Lawler on skates. Barberena kept the pace as the round neared and end and was able to put Lawler out on his feet. It was one of those fights that was a scrap from the first second to last.

Performance Of The Night: Alex Pereira

In his toughest test to date, jumping from unranked opponents to the UFC middleweight division’s No. 4 contender Sean Strickland, Alex Pereira passed with flying colors. With only 40 total strikes landed between the two fighters’, it didn’t take long for “Poatan” to land the fight ending strike.2 minutes and 36 seconds into the first round, Pereira landed his patented left hook, followed by two straight right hands that connected flush as Strickland was falling to the canvas.

RELATED: Alex Pereira's Post-Fight Interview | Alex Pereira's Octagon Interview 

Pereira’s win was as decisive as he could’ve hoped and shows UFC fans that his technique and power from his kickboxing career translates well to MMA. Earning his second Performance of the Night in only three UFC fights, Pereira has become one of the division’s most entertaining up-and-comers.

Fight Of The Night: Arman Tsarukyan vs Mateusz Gamrot 

Two of the UFC's lightweight division's rising stars battled for five full rounds in the main event at UFC Fight Night: Tsarukyan vs Gamrot. Early in the fight, neither fighter would give up a position on the mat, constantly scrambling out of pressure and getting back to their feet. Arman Tsarukyan began finding his range, landing numerous hard body kicks and jabs.

Entering the third round Mateusz Gamrot started to use his elite wrestling game to take down Tsarukyan in close rounds that were competitively very even. As Gamrot was finding his flow, Tsarukyan landed the hardest strike of the night, a spinning back fist, that momentarily dropped Gamrot before he bounced back to his feet.

In the end, Gamrot was just able to edge out Tsarukyan on all three judges' scorecards, 48-47. The back-and-forth nature of this main event made it clear that these two were destined for earning Fight of the Night honors. 

Performance Of The Night: Shavkat Rakhmonov

In the biggest fight of his UFC career, the unbeaten Shavkat Rakhmonov proved he belonged among the elite at 170-pounds, submitting Neil Magny by guillotine with only two seconds left in the second round. Catching a Magny kick in the opening minute of the fight, Rakhmonov was able to secure the takedown and land ground-and-pound as Magny was seeking a submission from his back. Another dominant performance from "Nomad" makes him a scary proposition for the welterweights ahead of him. 

Performance Of The Night: Josh Parisian

Non-stop action from the only heavyweight fight on the card made for a thrilling back-and-forth bout that saw both fighter's on the cusp of being finished. But in the second round, Josh Parisian was able to take Alan Baudot to the mat twice, eventually ending up in full mount landing relentless strikes that eventually forced the TKO stoppage. 

Performance Of The Night: Thiago Moises

The gameplan for Thiago Moises was clear from the start: take Christos Giagos down. Despite bringing Giagos to the mat briefly, Moises found his success on the feet, taking Giagos' back and sinking in the rear naked choke only three-minutes into the first round. After losing two consecutive fights, this win puts Moises' career back on track as he looks to soon make it back into the lightweight rankings. 

We are barely halfway through the prelim card in Austin when we knew it was going to be tricky to figure out who was going to get performance bonuses, as fight after fight ended in stellar, show-stopping finishes. Before the night was over, it would tie six other UFC events for the most KO/TKO finishes. So rather than try to pick from such a wealth of prime performances, the UFC brass opted—as they did in Singapore—to give each of the nine finishers a bonus.

Oh, and there was a Fight of the Night.

Fight Of The Night: Kattar vs Emmett

Just like the fights that came before it, the main event with Calvin Kattar and Josh Emmett did not disappoint. Punches were thrown in the first round, with both fighters finding their footing. It was a back and forth battle, as the knees, elbows and jabs were starting to bloody up both Kattar and Emmett throughout the fight.The featherweights went to war until the final horn, neither giving up despite the fatigue that could be seen from both sides. In the end, Emmett came out victorious with a split decision.

Performance Of The Night: Kevin Holland

Kevin Holland got his second straight finish in his second stint at welterweight and he looked brilliant doing it, banging vet Tim Means to the mat and securing a sweet D’arce choke.

Peformance Of The Night: Joaquin Buckley

Buckley reminded Austin audiences of his why he’s one of the most thrilling prospects in the middleweight division, eventually doing so much visible damage to his opponent Albert Duraev that doctors were forced to end the onslaught.

Performance Of The Night: Gregory Rodrigues

Rodrigues put the sting of a controversial split decision loss in the rearview mirror with a stellar effort against Julian Marques in a wild one-round battle.

Performance Of the Night: Adrian Yanez

In what might have drawn the loudest cheers of the night, Texan Adrian Yanez made quick work of Tony Kelley, rocking him with a series of blows that forced the referee to step in.

Performance Of The Night: Jeremiah Wells

He’s only been in the UFC for three fights, but Philly’s Jeremiah Wells has made each of them count. His dramatic KO of veteran Court McGee was his third consecutive finish.

Performance Of The Night: Ricardo Ramos

Of the five spinning-backfist knockouts in UFC history, Ricardo Ramos can now claim two of them when he needed just over a minute to finish Danny Chavez.

Performance Of The Night: Cody Stamman

Stamann looked like the best version of himself fight fans have ever seen as he blitzed Eddie Wineland and ended his evening in just 59 seconds.

Performance Of The Night: Phil Hawes

Welterweight contender Belal Muhammad Tweeted “Hawes got paws” during his KO victory, and it was probably the most succinct way to sum up and absolute punchers clinic over Deron Winn.

Performance Of The Night: Roman Doldize

Roman Doldize opened the show with a bang, ending Kyle Daukaus in just 73 seconds and causing the rest of the middleweights to take notice of his finishing power. Not a bad way to get things started in Austin, and a harbinger of things to come.

Fight Of The Night: Glover Teixeira vs Jiri Prochazka

The UFC 275 main event bout between Glover Teixeira and Jiri Prochazka lived up to all the hype, as both men laid it on the line for nearly all 25 minutes. The back and forth affair featured just about everything a fan of mixed martial arts could hope for. There was wrestling, submission attempts, striking, ground and pound, and intense moments.

In the end, it was Czech Republic's Prochazka that sunk in a rear naked choke with under a minute remaining and forced Teixeira to tap. It was Prochazka's crowning moment and it was well-earned. What a fight and what a way to become the champion of the world.

Performance Of The Night: Zhang Weili

Zhang Weili's put a exclamation point on her two-fight series with Joanna Jedrzejczyk, knocking her out in stunning fashion. The knockout happened in the second, when Weili avoiding a strike from Jedrzejczyk and followed up her defensive maneuver with a spinning backfist that Jedrzejczyk never saw coming. Jedrzejczyk fell the to canvas and that was all she wrote.

It was the perfect performance from Weili and puts the former champion right back in the mix for the strawweight title.

Performance Of The Night: Jake Matthews

"The Celtic Kid" got it done in a big way at UFC 275, knocking Andre Fialho out in a welterweight firefight. Matthews let the hands fly and connected with power shots on multiple occasions that helped him wear Fialho out. That's when he landed a couple huge punches in succession and put Fialho out. It was a great performance and showcased that he's still adding to his game.

Performance Of The Night: Jack Della Maddalena

The sophomore UFC performance from Jack Della Maddalena was just as impressive as the first. Maddalena picked his shots carefully in the first minute of the bout, hitting veteran Ramazan Emeev with a huge body shot that sent him crumbling to the floor. Jack Della Maddalena is the real deal folks.

Performance Of The Night: Maheshate

Getting a stunning KO win in your UFC debut is the right way to introduce yourself to UFC fans worldwide. That's exactly what Dana White's Contender Series graduate Maheshate did at UFC 275. He landed a picture perfect punch that turned off the lights for opponent Steve Garcia. Welcome to the show.

Performance Of The Night: Silvana Gomez Juarez

Silvana Gomez Juarez halted her two-fight skid with an astounding KO of Liang Na at UFC 275. Juarez landed a beautiful combo that sent Na reeling and Juarez followed up quickly before Na could recover. Juarez put together the finishing touches with a few extra punches and got back into the win column in style.

Fight Of The Night: 

Lucas Almeida made quite the impression during his UFC debut matchup against featherweight Michael Trizano.

It was a back-and-forth battle with Almeida throwing kicks in the first round, and Trizano striking back with a hook that sent the Brazilian stumbling. The two went to work in the second round, with the blood piling on to both fighters. 55 seconds into the final round the referee stopped the fight after Almeida continued to lay the punches onto Trizano.

Not a bad way to start your UFC career.

Performance Of The Night: 

In 15 professional wins, Karine Silva has a 100% finishing rate, and she kept that stat intact in style as secured just the second D'Arce choke submission in women's UFC history in the first round vs compatriot Poliana Botelho.

It’s hard to imagine a more perfect debut for the Brazilian, who punched her ticket to the UFC on the last season of Dana White’s Contender Series.

“Happiness and pride fill me right now,” she would say backstage. “I love this.”

Performance Of The Night: 

Ode’ Osbourne took the old cliché that fighters don’t get paid for overtime to heart on his way to earning the sixth fastest knockout in UFC flyweight history. Need only one minute and one second to dispatch Zarrukh Adashev that began with a bomb of an overhand right that sent his opponent to the mat.

“We’ve been working that all camp,” he said of the strategy. “Being patient, then sniping those hooks…it worked to out to a tee.”

Fight Of The Night: Santiago Ponzinibbio vs Michel Pereira

When the matchmakers put this welterweight bout on UFC Fight Night: Holm vs Vieira they knew what they were doing. They knew that they had two warriors who wouldn’t back down an inch.

That’s what fight fans got when Santiago Ponzinibbio and Michel Pereira collided in the Octagon. For 15 minutes the two threw down, mixing a variety of striking attacks until the final bell tolled. It was a very close fight, but Pereira earned the split decision nod and extended his win streak to five in a row. It was an impressive performance and showed that Pereira absolutely deserves to be fighting welterweights with numbers next to their name.

Performance Of The Night: Chidi Njokuani

How do you follow up a 16 second KO in your UFC debut? How about a devastating walk off elbow KO?

That’s exactly what Chidi Njokuani did. He showed that he is not only a real deal but a someone that is going to knocking on the door of the middleweight rankings sooner rather than later. It took Njokuani 15 years to finally make it to the UFC and he’s making the most of it now that he’s here.

Performance Of The Night: Chase Hooper

The “Dream” is alive. Chase Hooper went back to the drawing board and came back with some new skills. 11 months away from competing was the move for Hooper, who displayed improved striking and ground and pound in his but with Felipe Colares.

It was obvious that Hooper’s time in South Carolina training with Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson paid off and he was able to turn in his best UFC performance to date.

Fight Of The Night: Katlyn Chookagian vs Amanda Ribas

Flyweight’s No. 1 contender Katlyn Chookagian risked her position in the flyweight division fight Brazilian upstart and top-10 strawwight Amanda Ribas, and the two engaged in a scrappy, back-and-forth affair that saw Chookagian on the winning-end of a split decision.

Ribas started the fight quickly and got into Chookagian’s face. From there, Ribas was able to toss Chookagian to the mat and gain some control time. Chookagian rose to her feet with less than two minutes left, though, and made the most of it with high volume to end the round. The second round saw the same pace and patterns, except this time, Chookagian managed her distance and cracked Ribas with several heavy combinations before Ribas once again tossed Chookagian to the ground. Chookagian fought to her feet and landed several straight-as-an-arrow right hands to end the second round.

The third round was contested almost entirely on the feet with Chookagian in control. With a minute left, Ribas emptied the tank scoring a takedown and engaging in a thrilling exchange with “Blonde Fighter” until the final horn. In the end, Chookagian did enough to keep her top ranking while Ribas certainly put both strawweight and flyweight on notice.

Performance Of The Night: Ryan Spann 

“Superman” came out victorious over “Hulk” as Ryan Spann weathered a marauding Ion Cutelaba in their co-main bout. 

Spann connected with heavy shots early, including a big right hand that forced a takedown from Cutelaba. Spann returned to his feet, and they scrambled once again. As he circled out of Cutelaba’s grasp for a second time, Spann locked up a guillotine choke forcing Cutelaba to swiftly tapout mideway through the first round. 

Performance Of The Night: Manuel Torres

Contender Series alum Manuel Torres put together an impressive Octagon debut with his knockout win over Frank Camacho. 

The fight got going early as Torres and “The Crank” exchanged a few bombs. After getting into the clinch, Torres got some space and began to piece up Camacho. As Camacho charged in with an overhand right, Torres intelligently slid back and countered with a two-punch combo that sent Camacho crumbling to the canvas and forcing the ref to stop the fight in the first round.

Fight Of The Night: Brandon Royval vs Matt Schnell

A fight involving Brandon Royval is nearly always a barnburner, and his matchup against perennial top-10 contender Matt Schnell fell right in line with the rest for as long as it lasted. Schnell dropped Royval with a right hand early, but par for the course, Royval recovered and escaped a submission attempt to snatch up his own guillotine that ended the fight a little more than two minutes into the affair. 

Schnell tapped, and Royval called for a fight with a title contender.

Performance Of The Night: Michael Chandler

Michael Chandler continues to deliver fireworks, this time turning in one of the most stunning knockouts of the year with a front kick that put Tony Ferguson to sleep in the second round.

The fight wasn’t without adversity for Chandler. Ferguson looked in his best form since his losing skid began, and he dropped “Iron” with a left hand. Chandler recovered and stemmed the momentum with a big-time double-leg takedown. Early in the second round, Chandler followed Ferguson as he circled and fired a front kick that looked like an NFL punter to Ferguson’s chin. It was the ninth front-kick knockout in UFC history and perhaps the most devastating. 

Performance Of The Night: Andre Fialho

In his third fight of 2022, Andre Fialho produced a clean knockout over Cameran VanCamp in the first round of their fight. 

After Fiahlo got stung early, he recovered to line up a check hook that caught the reckless VanCamp and folded him midway through the first round. Fialho immediately called for another fight this year – which would be his fourth – requesting a spot on the Singapore-located UFC 275. 

Fight Of The Night: Marlon Vera vs Rob Font*

In a crucial battle in the vaunted bantamweight division, Rob Font and Marlon “Chito” Vera duked it out for five rounds, and the Ecuadorian did enough to earn the decision win, likely setting him up for a top-5 matchup next.

To start the fight, Font peppered Vera with his patented jab, but Vera cashed some leg kicks in early to try slow down his opponent. Vera nearly matched Font’s output to stem the momentum built heading into the second round. The second and third round saw more of Font’s pace and volume, but at the end of each frame, Vera dropped Font to the canvas. First, with a sneaky left hook and then a slick knee to end the second and third frame on top, respectively.

Font battled in the fourth round, but Vera turned on the aggression and looked for the finish. Font thwarted him and landed some heat, but “Chito” remained unbothered. Vera dropped Font again midway through the fourth round, but Font survived. Font came out heavy early and often, but once again, Vera rocked the New Englander, but the horn sounded before the finish came. 

*Rob Font weighed in above the non-title fight bantamweight limit of 136 pounds. As a result, Marlon Vera receives his portion of the Fight of the Night bonus, totaling $100,000.

Performance Of The Night: Joanderson Brito

Facing well-respected veteran Andre Fili, Joanderson Brito made a huge statement in earning a first-round TKO. Right away, the two got after it, and Brito landed a massive overhand right hand that spun Fili to the ground. Brito followed up well and earned the stoppage inside the first minute of the fight.

Performance Of The Night: Francisco Figueiredo

It took Francisco Figueiredo all of 78 seconds to earn a submission win over Daniel da Silva. After landing a body kick, Figueiredo found himself getting taken down but used the opportunity to scramble. In doing so, he locked up a kneebar, and quickly forced his opponent to tap.

Fight Of The Night: Dwight Grant vs Sergey Khandozhko

This was the sort of battle that could serve as the definition for the Fight of the Night bonus; a back-and-forth, razor-close battle that was either combatant’s glory for the taking. From the opening bell, both Sergey Khandozhko and his opponent Dwight Grant came at each other with bad, bad intentions. Taking turns dropping each other under a sea of haymakers, the fight could have ended at any moment before it actually did in the second round, when Khandozhko scored his 12th KO/TKO career victory in his first fight since 2019.

Performance Of The Night: Jessica Andrade

It only took former UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion Jéssica Andrade one round to prove why she’s still one of the best in whatever division she competes in. In the main event of UFC Vegas 52, Andrade took on rising contender Amanda Lemos, who was looking to make a name off the former champion.

In the opening moments of the fight, Lemos was the one who was applying the pressure with kicks and striking. After slipping one of Lemos’s punches, Andrade was able to secure a standing arm triangle. Lemos fought the submission for a few seconds against the cage but would ultimately tap out. The former champion couldn’t have asked for a better return to the 115-pound division.

Performance Of The Night: Claudio Puelles

Claudio Puelles just might have to change his nickname again. "The Prince of Peru" snatched his third submission win via knee bar (most in UFC history) in the biggest moment of his career. His co-main event showcase versus Clay Guida shows just how dangerous Puelles is to other lightweights and why he's someone you might not want to take down. Big things are up next for Puelles.

Fight Of The Night: Mayra Bueno Silva vs Wu Yanan

When the scorecards were read in favor of Mayra Bueno Silva at the conclusion of her bout with Wu Yanan, Silva erupted in shrieks of relief and joy. Joy for the win, and relief because despite the unanimous nod, few would have been surprised with any combination of outcomes given how close the contest was throughout. A wild, back-and-forth brawl of competing stylees, Wu’s high-cardio, unorthodox angles were met with Silva’s slick Muay Thai and heavy counter-punching. As the cliché goes, it was the fans who were the real winners after being treated to 15 straight minutes of brilliant, heart-pounding MMA.

Performance Of The Night: Drakkar Klose

With his wife, Cortney Casey, and their young son, Kingston, in attendance, Drakkar Klose put on one of the great performances on the lightweight’s career to date. Absent from the Octagon for nearly two years—partially due to bizarre faceoff injury from Jeremy Stephens last year—Klose didn’t show the slightest ounce of ring rust as he preceded to tee off on Brandon Jenkins, who hung around in the match much longer than any man probably should. Commentator Daniel Cormier watched in awe as Jenkins ate shot after shot and wondered aloud “How is this kid still standing?” Shortly after that comment, he was no longer standing and Klose celebrated the triumph with his family.

Performance Of The Night: Andre Fialho

After coming out on the wrong side of the scorecards in his UFC debut, Portugal’s Andre Fialho got back to his trademark finishing style with a thrilling TKO victory over Miguel Baeza near the end of the first round. Baeza looked particularly sharp for most of the first frame until Fialho found a home for some mean uppercuts that set the table for a massive left hand that sent “Caramel Thunder” to the mat where he was met with some fierce ground and pound to seal the deal.

Fight of the Night: Gilbert Burns vs Khamzat Chimaev

The People’s Main Event delivered on its immense expectations as welterweight contenders Gilbert Burns and Khamzat Chimaev went to war for three rounds. 

With questions and hype buzzing around Chimaev, Burns gave the phenom everything he could handle early, stuffing takedowns and cracking right back with “Borz.” The pace was high with a combination of heavy exchanges and entertaining grappling scrambles. Late in the first round, Chimaev switched to a southpaw stance and dropped Burns with a power jab. “Durinho” recovered in the second, and the two resumed their wild striking.

At the end of the round, Burns potentially landing the best shot of the night in the second round when he unleashed a sweeping right hook that dropped Chimaev before Chimaev ended the round with a takedown. Chimaev bounced back and continued with heavy pressure, and although it seemed like Burns was fading, the two continued to battle to the end much to the joys of the Floridian crowd. Ultimately, the judges gave Chimaev the unanimous decision victory, solidifying the young upstart as a real contender in the division.

Performance of the Night: Alexander Volkanovski

“The Great” got one step closer to putting “est” at the end of his moniker with a clinically dominant performance in his third defense of his title. From the jump, Volkanovski controlled the pace of the fight against Chan Sung Jung, peppering “The Korean Zombie” with jabs from distance and consistently disrupting his rhythm. Volkanovski put all his skills on display, taking Jung down at will and cracking him with punches up top. Even as Jung got more aggressive, Volkanovski coolly countered, and in the third round, Volkanoski dropped Jung with an emphatic right hand and huge follow-up shots. Although Jung made it out for the fourth round, it didn’t take long for Volkanovski to put the finishing touches on his masterpiece, earning the stoppage seconds into the frame.

Performance of the Night: Aleksei Oleinik

Heavyweight submission wizard Aleksei Oleinik provided a vintage performance to pick up yet another tapout win and his 60th professional win with a first-round scarf hold against Jared Vanderaa. It was a classic performance from the 44-year-old as he waited for his chance to get to the ground and methodically worked his way to a neck-crank variation with just over a minute left in the first frame.

Fight of the Night: Matt Brown vs Bryan Barberena

When this fight was rebooked for Columbus, Ohio everyone knew exactly what the world was going to get out of Matt Brown and Bryan Barberena – A slugfest where two tough guys willing to beat the snot out of each other until the final bell. And that’s exactly what these two welterweight veterans delivered to a sold-out crowd at Nationwide Arena.

It was three rounds of powerful elbows in the clinch and nothing but heart. Brown mixed in some well-timed takedowns and was able to cause some damage when he had Barberena on his back, but it was clear that Barberena was the fresher fighter as the fight was coming down to the wire.  Barberena put it on Brown in the final moments, in what was a closely contested bout for the entire 15 minutes.

The performance was enough for Barberena to play spoiler and ruin Brown’s homecoming party by taking the fight via Split Decision. Even with a disappointing result for Brown there was nothing for “The Immortal” to hang his head about, it was one hell of a fight by two true warriors.

Performance of the Night: Curtis Blaydes

When you’re in need of making a big statement, sometimes you must do the unexpected. That’s exactly what Curtis Blaydes did against Chris Daukaus in Columbus. Blaydes didn’t rely on his wrestling one bit, as a matter of fact, he didn’t even fake a shot attempt.

Instead, the Team Elevation product and heavyweight title contender stood with Daukaus and knocked him out. It was impressive and truly showed that Blaydes has ever tool at his disposal to be competing for a UFC heavyweight title.

Performance of the Night: Chris Gutiérrez

“El Guapo” struck again and this time he printed his name in the UFC history books. Chris Gutiérrez connected with a beautiful spinning backfist that sent Batgerel Danaa to the canvas. He followed up that backfist with some hammerfists and some ground and pound before Danaa could clear the cobwebs.

It was the 9th TKO in UFC history stemming from a spinning backfist and extended Gutiérrez’s unbeaten streak to seven in a row. With the win, Gutiérrez becomes the only fighter in UFC history to have a TKO by spinning backfist and by leg kicks.

Performance of the Night: Muhammad Mokaev

“Uncle Dana; 50 Gs!” beckoned Muhammad Mokaev after opening the UFC London card—and his UFC career—with a beautiful 58 second guillotine choke, set up by a perfectly timed knee to the chin of his opponent Cody Durden. It was the second fastest submission in the history of the flyweight division.

Both men had been jawing at each other during fight week, and it was Manchester’s Mokaev—perhaps the most decorated amateur fighter in the UFC—who backed up his words. At 21, he dreams of being the youngest UFC champion, and with a few more performances like he had tonight, he might have a chance.

Performance of the Night: Paul Craig

It was a story arc that almost perfectly mirrored Paul Craig’s fight in the very same building four years earlier vs Magomed Ankalaev. After taking a severe beating for three rounds, Craig pulled out a last-second submission when his opponent dared to go to the ground with him.

RELATED: Paul Craig Post-Fight Interview

Fast forward to 2022, and it was Nikita Krylov seemingly having his way with the Scotsman, landing absolute sledgehammers to Craig’s head while he lay flat on his back in the Octagon. Commentator Paul Felder remarked that Craig even looked like he might be out. But as Krylov went to the ground to finish his attack, that was where “Bearjew” seemed to be lying in wait as he executed a brilliant triangle choke from his back. Truly another bonus-worthy effort if ever there was one.

Performance of the Night: Ilia Topuria

Five inches shorter, seven inches less in reach advantage and down on all the scorecards heading into the second round weren’t enough factors to deter Spain’s Ilia Topuria from upsetting English favorite Jai Herbert in front of the stunned O2 crowd.

RELATED: Ilia Topuria Post-Fight Interview

A clean right hand just over a minute into the second round sent Herbert to the canvas and sent Topuria to the microphone where he wasted no time in calling out another hometown favorite, Paddy Pimblett, with whom he has been beefing with of late. Judging by the reaction of the crowd, he’s not the only one who would welcome that fight.

Performance of the Night: Makwan Amirkhani

Makwan Amirkhani got back to doing what he does best: winning by anaconda choke. Needing only 57 seconds vs England favorite Mike Grundy, "Mr. Finland" earned his third anaconda choke submission in UFC competition and his third in three wins. Only lightweight champion Charles Oliveira has as many. It was also the rare UFC bout that featured no punches landed.

"If you give me your head I will take it home," Amirkhani would say backstage. "I feel unstoppable."

Performance of the Night: Sergei Pavlovich

Sergei Pavlovich returned after almost three years away and earned a first-round stoppage of Shamil Abdurakhimov. Pavlovich spent the early part of the fight feelings things out before cracking his foe with a right hand. After Abdurakhimov recovered, Pavlovich uncorked another right hand and swarmed his opponent earning a stoppage with less than a minute left.

With only one professional loss and twelve first-round knockouts, the heavyweight is steadily gaining ground on the division’s elite.

Performance of the Night: Molly McCann

With her spinning back elbow knockout of Luana Carolina, Molly McCann became just the fourth UFC fighter to earn that distinction (she joins Ricardo Ramos, Dong Hyun "Stun Gun" Kim, and Jiri Prochazka).

RELATED: Molly McCann Octagon Interview

Wielding visible emotion from the start with the apparent entirety of O2 Arena behind her, there was a feeling from the first punch landed that McCann wasn’t going back to Liverpool without a win.

"I've got them Irish/Scouse lungs in me, so I'm ready to punch all night," she would say after the win, but she only needed a shade over two rounds to set up the early frontrunner for best KO of 2022.

Performance of the Night: Paddy Pimblett

With perhaps the biggest pop of any fighter on the UFC London card, Liverpool’s Paddy Pimblett made his walk to the Octagon with the weight of massive expectations and he delivered on every one of them with his first round submission of Kazula Vargas. It’s impossible at this point to ignore that a star is very much in the making.

RELATED: Paddy Pimblett Post-Fight Interview

“It’s the beginning, the middle and the end that you get from him,” said commentator Michael Bisping as Pimblett made his way back to the locker room through a sea of adoration and high-fives. “He hypes the fight like nobody else. The walkouts are incredible. The fights deliver excitement, and then afterwards on the microphone as well. He really is the complete package.”

Performance of the Night: Arnold Allen

There’s no denying the heart and the ability that Dan Hooker has to take punch, but he met the wrong opponent for his return to featherweight as he encountered a buzzsaw named Arnold Allen.

RELATED: Arnold Allen Octagon Interview

“These boys woke up and chose violence,” shouted UFC announcer John Gooden as both men swung for the fences from the opening bell. It was Arnold, however, that controlled the speed and the output. Unable to escape the barrage, the referee stepped in to stop the onslaught before the first frame was finished. Capping a nine-fight win streak, Allen is now an undeniable problem at 145 lbs. He called out Calvin Kattar as a possible next opponent in his post-fight interview.

Performance of the Night: Tom Aspinall

After a night that featured finish after finish, it was difficult to imagine what either man in the main event could do to top it, but Tom Aspinall rose to the challenge. With the added pressure of fighting in front of UFC fans for the first time in his career—at home no less—the rising heavyweight phenom set to work battering Alexander Volkov with his speed before landing him on his back and submitting him with a straight arm lock less than four minutes into the fight.

RELATED: Tom Aspinall Octagon Interview

Knocking on the door of a top five ranking, the pride of Manchester called out Tai Tuivasa, noting that it wasn’t only Aussie’s who enjoyed celebrating with a beer after a win, as Aspinall himself proceeded to do with fans as he left the Octagon.

Performance of the Night: Cody Brundage

There aren’t many comebacks like the one we saw from Cody Brundage at UFC Fight Night: Santos vs Ankalaev. Usually comeback wins involve a fighter rallying from being dropped or nearly submitted, not many comebacks happen after taking nearly 50 unanswered strikes.

That’s what Brundage was able to against Dalch Lungiambula. Brundage was getting battered along the fence, hoping that Lungiambula would either get tired or make a mistake. Lungiambula threw a flurry of punches then went in for a shot and Brundage saw his shot. He pulled the guillotine and was able to finish the fight.

It tied for the fourth biggest statistical comeback finish in UFC middleweight history. What a way to get your first career UFC win.

Performance of the Night: Azamat Murzakanov

Azamat Murzakanov’s UFC debut wasn’t perfect, but the undefeated Russian was able to weather the storm brought on by light heavyweight prospect Tafon Tchukwi and make a splash at the start of the third round.

Murzakanov executed a beautiful flying knee that dropped Tchukwi instantly to the canvas. There weren’t any other strikes needed and just like that, Murzakanov moved to 11-0 and is on the right track to find footing in the division.

Performance of the Night: Khalil Rountree Jr.

After a strong first round against Karl Roberson, Khalil Rountree Jr. would put away Roberson in opening moments of the second round via TKO . To start the second-round, Rountree immediately put the pressure on Roberson. Once Rountree sensed he had Robeson hurt, the Las Vegas-native would unleash another barrage of heavy strikes that would eventually drop Roberson to the canvas.

As Roberson attempted to get back to his feet, Rountree would land a powerful body kick that would force Roberson too cover up. Referee Herb Dean would call a stop to the contest 25 seconds into the round.

Performance of the Night: Song Yadong

For his first co-main event inside the Octagon, Song Yadong would rise to the occasion, delivering a first round knockout against UFC veteran, Marlon Moraes. The spotlight and attention seemed to have little affect on Song, as he looked more than confident against the veteran.

It only took Song two minutes to finish the job in Las Vegas. If he is to have another impressive performance against a ranked opponent, Song could easily finding himself challenging for a world title next.

Fight of the Night: Colby Covington vs Jorge Masvidal

While the bad blood between Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal may not be settled after tonight, Colby Covington was the one to walk away with his hand raised.

In the opening moments of the first round, Masvidal attempted to land his patent flying knee, but Covington would stay clear and respond with a few shots of his own. Covington was relentless with his pressure and takedown attempts, eventually getting Masvidal down to the canvas for a brief moment. Masvidal started the second round much stronger, landing clean kicks. In the midst of a clinching battle, Covington would land a low knee that would bring the fight to a brief holt.

Entering the championship rounds, Covington’s gas tank and conditioning was proving to be too much. Covington’s strikes were finding their home, but with 90 seconds left in the round, Masvidal would land a flush right that would send Covington to his knee for a brief moment. Masvidal wasn’t able to capitalize on the opening due to fatigue, as Covington was able to quickly shake off the cobwebs to get back in the fight.

In the final round, Covington continued with his pressure and would eventually get Masvidal back to the mat. Masvidal would get back to his feet briefly but would have no answer for Covington’s wrestling. In the final seconds, Covington was able to land some ground and pound strikes before the bout came to an end. Covington and Masvidal would stand to their feet and continue the trash talk, even after the fight concluded. All three judges would give the win to Covington, putting a brief end to one of the most heated rivalries the Octagon has seen.

Performance of the Night: Kevin Holland

"Big Mouth" backed up the talk in his UFC welterweight debut. Kevin Holland and Alex Oliveira went back and forth in a highly competitive first round but it was all Holland off the jump in the second. A perfect connection put Oliveira down on the canvas and Holland turned up the heat raining a combination of punches and elbows that ended the fight.

It was a great introduction to the welterweight division for Holland and only exciting things are on the horizon for one of UFC's most entertaining fighters.

Performance of the Night: Maryna Moroz

Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal weren't the only two fighters with some bad blood at UFC 272. Maryna Moroz and Mariya Agapova traded words for before they made it to the Octagon, but it was Moroz who backed up the talk. Moroz executed her gameplan of strong grappling mixed with submission attempts in route to a beautiful arm triangle submission win.

The win was Moroz's first submission win in seven years and helped her regain her footing in the flyweight division.

Fight of the Night: Ji Yeon Kim vs Priscila Cachoeira

Flyweight fireworks went off inside the UFC APEX at UFC Fight Night: Makhachev vs Green. Both Ji Yeon "Firefist" Kim and Priscila "Zombie Girl" Cachoeira lived up to their nicknames, putting on a three-round stand-up showcase.

Each woman had their moments in the fight, with Kim connecting early and often with her crisp combos and counterstrikes. Cachoeira relied on her powerful strikes to hurt Kim and while some of her shots missed the mark, the ones that found home made a big impact.

Heading into the third frame it was anyone's fight, and as they approached the mid-way of the round it seemed like Kim had things under control. That's when Cachoeira hit her third maybe fourth wind and started throwing elbow after elbow after elbow, busting Kim open and ending the final round in an intense flurry.

The judges saw the spectacular fight as a Unanimous Decision for Cachoeira, giving her three wins in her last four UFC bouts.

Performance of the Night: Wellington Turman

Just a few weeks after his bout with Rodolfo Viera was cancelled, Wellington Turman made the most of his opportunity to face Misha Cirkunov at UFC Fight Night: Makhachev vs Green. The Brazilian middleweight bounced back from a tough first round in which he absorbed a handful of ground and pound strikes with a stunning armbar win in the second round. Turman threw up the armbar in what felt like an instance, forcing Cirkuno to tap immediately. It was a big win and a definite step in the right direction for Turman.

Performance of the Night: Arman Tsarukyan

Islam Makhachev wasn't the only ranked lightweight to get a dominate TKO victory at UFC Fight Night: Makhachev vs Green. Arman Tsarukyan dominated Joel Álvarez from start to finish, utilizing his grappling to hold the Spaniard to the canvas and drop devastating elbows on his opponent. One of which, caused a terrible gash on Álvarez's nose that made it difficult for Álvarez to see. It also marked the beginning of the end for Álvarez, as Tsarukyan went directly back to the gameplan in the second round.

Tsarukyan pressured Álvarez right off the bat, was able to get him briefly into a crucifix position and then pour on shots that the referee couldn't ignore. It was a picture perfect performance and proved that Tsarukyan is more than a prospect, he's a contender.

Performance of the Night: Jamahal Hill

Sweet dreams, indeed. Jamahal Hill followed up his ultra-impressive KO win over Jimmy Crute with a walkoff KO win over Johnny Walker. Hill showed that he's more than ready for the bright lights by handing some big kicks early from Walker before connecting with a perfect straight right that made Walker's body go stiff as a board. Hill followed up with a devastating strike and put the lights out on Walker.

It was a perfect showcase for one of the rising stars in the light heavyweight division. Big things are coming for Hill in 2022.

Performance of the Night: Kyle Daukaus

After a frustrating couple of months, Kyle Daukaus was charged up and ready to make a statement. He did just that by submitting Jamie Pickett with a D'Arce Choke in the final second of the first round. Receiving a bonus was the cherry on top and definitely helped make up for lost time.

Daukaus told Paul Felder in the Octagon after the win that he wants to be known as 'The D'Arce Knight' going forward and he's certainly a fighter that people should have their eyes on going forward.

Performance of the Night: David Onama

David Onama made his UFC debut on short notice up a weight class against Mason Jones. It was a very hard-fought and close bout but the performance proved that Onama deserved to be in the big show. With his stunning comeback KO win over Gabriel Benitez at UFC Fight Night: Walker vs Hill, it's clear that Onama is the real deal and is one of the hottest prospects in the featherweight division.

Performance of the Night: Stephanie Egger

Back-to-back finishes have put Stephanie Egger on the map as a real player in the women's bantamweight division. At UFC Fight Night: Walker vs Hill she was able to put away Jessica-Rose Clark just two minutes into the second round with an impressive Armbar. She transitioned through the scramble and proved that she's not a fighter that her future opponents will want to get mixed up with on the canvas.

Fight of the Night: Douglas Silva de Andrade vs Sergey Morozov

“This is a great fight,” exclaimed announcer Daniel Cormier midway through the second round of the bout between Douglas Silva De Andrade vs Sergey Morozov, and truer words have never been spoken. Houston fans not in their seats, and the home audience not yet in front of their televisions missed a wild back-and-forth brawl that might have ended ten or more times before it did when de Andrade sunk in the rear naked choke and Morozov—who wouldn’t tap—went unconscious with his eyes open.

The Brazilian de Andrade was mostly on the receiving end of the melee in the first frame, not only losing the round on all three judge’s scorecards, but even receiving an 8 from one judge.

“It's only over when it's over, and it wasn't over,” he said.

Fired up and reborn in the second round, he repaid the favor to a game Morozov in a performance that made the Toyota Center sound like it was at capacity in only the third fight of the evening.

UFC 271 Final Results

“I love you Houston,” he exclaimed upon winning, before beseeching Dana White for the bonus he had to know was coming his way.

Performance of the Night: Tai Tuivasa

As dangerous as Tai Tuivasa is, it felt almost unthinkable that he would KO Derrick Lewis in front of his raucous hometown Houston crowd, particularly after eating some of Lewis’ trademark strikes for a round and half, and yet that’s precisely what the Australian did.

Jumping from No. 12 to No. 3 in the process, Tuivasa now has the second longest active UFC win streak in the heavyweight division with his 5th consecutive win (the champ, Francis Ngannou, has 6), and became only the 24th fighter in UFC history with a streak of five or more consecutive finishes.

Despite it being Lewis’ house, Tuivasa has endeared himself to fans worldwide, even those in Houston, who were more than happy to share his trademark shoeys along their way back to the locker room and beyond to celebrate his new status in the heavyweight elite.

Performance of the Night: Jared Cannonier

There was a moment in the final seconds of the first round when Jared Cannonier every so lightly started to make the gesture to tap out from Derek Brunson’s tight choke. Perhaps realizing he only needed to hang on for a few more seconds, he resisted. It was the right choice.

Armed with the knowledge he came within a whisper of losing a potential title shot, Cannonier exploded in the second round, hurting Brunson (who had looked fantastic) and putting him on the retreat before finishing the veteran in a flurry of elbows and strikes that simultaneously prompted the referee to step in and Brunson’s corner to throw in the towel. In the post-fight presser, UFC president Dana White agreed that Cannonier’s efforts warranted the next shot at champion Israel Adesanya.

Fight of the Night: Julian Erosa vs Steven Peterson*

Julian Erosa added $100k to his wallet at UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs Strickland when he faced Steven Peterson in an epic featherweight bout. Peterson missed weight so he was ineligible for a bonus when he missed weight. Erosa proved once again that he is in the mix when he faced Peterson at UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs Strickland. Erosa demonstrated his well-rounded skills in an exciting back-and-forth match-up featuring plenty of spinning attacks, scrambles and big moments.

Erosa will look to add another bonus to his resume the next time that he makes the walk to the Octagon in 2022.

*Steven Peterson weighed in above the featherweight limit of 146 pounds and as a result, forfeited his Fight Of The Night Bonus to Julian Erosa.

Performance of the Night: Chidi Njokuani

The long road to the UFC paid off for Chidi Njokuani when he knocked out Marc-Andre Barriault in just 16 seconds. It was a massive statement for Njokuani and proved that although it took him a while to get to the big show, he absolutely belongs.

Performance of the Night: Shavkat Rakhmonov

More eyes need to be on Shavkat Rakhmonov. At 15-0 with a 100% finish rate, he truly is one the top prospects in the welterweight division. His spinning hook kick KO over Carlston Harris is just proof that he is going to be a contending at the top of the division sooner rather than later.

Fight of the Night: Brandon Moreno vs Deiveson Figueiredo 3

Before the fight had even reached the final round, the growing chorus both inside the Honda Center and on social media was near unanimous: give us a fourth fight. And when an emotional  Deiveson Figueiredo got his hand raised at the end, it’s what he wanted too. He even offered for the fight to be in Mexico.

Deiveson Figueiredo Octagon Interview | Deiveson Figueiredo: 'No Pity, No Mercy'

“Thank you so much, Brandon Moreno,” Figueiredo said as he cradled his championship hardware, adding “Today is my day.”Over the course of 25 full minutes it was a veritable game of inches, with the momentum seesawing between both men in the same manner that made their first meeting an instant classic. If the fight had lasted thirty seconds longer, who knows? But when the final horn sounded, it was the Brazilian who had done just enough extra work to reclaim his flyweight belt.

Performance of the Night: Said Nurmagomedov

There’s an old saying in combat sports that you don’t get paid for overtime and Said Nurmagomedov seems to understand that as well as anyone. Before it seemed his opponent Cody Stamann even knew what was happening, the Russian locked in the choke and then rolled to get the submission. At 47 seconds, it was the third-fastest submission in the history of the 135-lb ranks. In the densely talent-packed bantamweight division, Nurmagomedov made many sit up and take notice with his fourth win in five UFC fights.

"Wow," said TSN's Aaron Bronsteter on Twitter following the win. "Said Nurmagomedov just ran through Cody Stamann, which is incredibly difficult to do."

Performance of the Night: Vanessa Demopoulos

After surviving a right hand that would have sent most folks into the shadow realm, Vanessa Demopoulos, in her own words “woke up” on the mat in the early prelims and had the calm presence of mind to work Silvana Gomez Juarez into a beautifully executed arm bar.

So happy was Demopoulos to get her first UFC victory that she did some impressive splits and jumped into the arms of Joe Rogan as he interviewed the jubilant strawweight.

Vanessa Demopoulos Post-Fight Interview

“I don’t have enough fingers and toes to tell you how awesome it feels,” she would say backstage. “These are the things that I’ve dreamed of. These are the things that I spoke into existence.”

Fight of the Night: Calvin Kattar vs Giga Chikadze

The first main event of 2022 delivered on almost all its promises as Calvin Kattar and Giga Chikadze stood toe-to-toe for all 25 minutes in an absolute war.

Kattar got into Chikadze’s face early and switched his stances to mitigate the opportunity for Chikadze to fire off a body kick flush. Chikadze adjusted accordingly, and he started to counter well moving backward. However, after Chikadze slipped on a kick, Kattar pounced and maintained control for the rest of the round. With the pressure working, Kattar wore Chikadze down some more over the next few rounds.

In the second and third rounds, Kattar switched to an elbow-heavy attack and sliced nasty cuts up on Chikadze’s face. He also stayed in perpetual forward motion, but when Chikadze had some space, he fired off heavy shots with his feet and hands. When Kattar shot for takedowns, the Georgian fended them off well. Although Chikadze had his moment of success, the story of the fight was Kattar. He pushed the pace all fight, showed off his slick boxing, mixed in grappling and punished Chikadze with elbows. His best shot came late – a spinning counter elbow that Chikadze somehow ate without so much as flinching. As the fight wound down, Kattar finally dropped Chikadze and finished the fight with furious ground-and-pound.

The judges gave Kattar the unanimous nod (50-45, 50-45, 50-44), a heck of a bounce-back win after a year away from action.

Performance of the Night: Jake Collier

Jake Collier delivered one of his better performances as a heavyweight with a first-round submission of Chase Sherman. Right away, Collier showed off his hand-speed to deliver the better shots early.

Sherman fired a kick, but Collier caught it and pushed Sherman to the canvas. From there, he poured on heavy ground-and-pound before taking Sherman's back and securing a rear naked choke. The victory was Collier's first submission win in the UFC.

Performance of the Night: Viacheslav Borshchev

There's simply no better way to make your UFC debut than getting an emphatic finish and walking away with an extra $50k in your pockets, and that's exactly what Viacheslav Borshchev did inside the UFC APEX with his first-round TKO over Dakota Bush.

Bush's strategy for unraveling the decorated kickboxer was set into motion pretty quickly, as he tagged the newcomer and took him down, but Borshchev remained calm and got the fight back to the feet, backing Bush against the cage before dropping him with a left hook to the liver, finishing the fight with a flurry of punches.

A bold statement for the Russian fighting out of Team Alpha Male, who shows promise to make waves in a stacked lightweight divsion.