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This weekend sees the final UFC pay-per-view of 2021, as UFC 269 goes down from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
UFC 269 is a genuinely stacked card, with two title fights and a host of exciting undercard bouts from the main card to the prelims. However, which clash is likely to claim the Fight of the Night award?
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Looking at the card on paper, there are a number of potential contenders for the award. While it’s impossible to predict how good UFC fights might turn out to be, some of the bouts on offer sound like guaranteed barnburners.
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On that note, here are five potential contenders for the Fight of the Night award at UFC 269.
#5. UFC welterweight bout: Geoff Neal vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio
UFC 269’s main card features a major clash of strikers in the welterweight division, as Geoff Neal faces Santiago Ponzinibbio. Based on the previous fights the duo has been involved in, this one could guarantee fireworks.
Both men are strikers by trade, but they utilize very different methods in the octagon. That means we could be in for a pretty crazy clash of styles when the two will lock horns.
Neal is all about power. ‘Handz of Steel’ can turn the lights out on any opponent at any time, with both his punches and kicks. His finishes of Mike Perry, Niko Price and Frank Camacho were as explosive as any we’ve seen in the UFC in recent years.
Ponzinibbio, meanwhile, also carries knockout power. While he can stop an opponent in one shot, he isn’t as explosive as Neal. Instead, the Argentine loves to pressure his foes with his cardio and boxing, pushing them onto their back foot, where he looks to force them into errors.
What makes this fight fascinating is that we’ve seen Neal picked apart recently – by Stephen Thompson. Meanwhile, Ponzinibbio was knocked out earlier this year by Li Jingliang.
That means both men are at risk come UFC 269. So when the two welterweights clash, fireworks are likely to ensue.
#4. UFC featherweight bout: Josh Emmett vs. Dan Ige
The UFC featherweight division is chock full of exciting fighters. Two of them are due to face off at UFC 269 this weekend, when Josh Emmett takes on Dan Ige.
The fact that these two 145lbers have a total of just four post-fight bonuses between them is a bit of a surprise, given their styles. Both men are straight-ahead strikers, and love to meet their opponent in the center of the octagon and exchange bombs.
Ige has perhaps been the more visible of the two recently. He holds wins over Edson Barboza and Mirsad Bektic, with his only losses coming against Calvin Kattar and Chan Sung Jung. His last two UFC bouts have come in the headline spot.
Emmett, though, has had more success. After spending a lengthy stretch on the shelf following a 2018 loss to Jeremy Stephens, ‘The Grim Reaper’ has put together a three-fight win streak. That includes a victory in a wild clash with Shane Burgos in June that counts amongst the better UFC fights of 2021.
Essentially, both men hit like trucks, and can take a heavy shot in their own right. While it looks likely this one could go the distance, it’ll probably see a ton of action, and could be a contender for the Fight of the Night bonus this weekend.
#3. UFC flyweight bout: Kai Kara-France vs. Cody Garbrandt
One of the more intriguing bouts at UFC 269 will see Cody Garbrandt move to 125lbs for the first time in his career to take on Kai Kara-France. While the big question hangs over Garbrandt’s transition to his new weight class, this fight should still be a good one.
A former UFC bantamweight champion, ‘No Love’ not only holds brutal knockout power, but he’s also wildly aggressive, often to his own detriment. Essentially, there’s no doubt he’s going to wade forward, and look to swing at Kara-France this weekend.
Can the native of New Zealand cope with such aggression? While it’s fair to question whether he can take Garbrandt’s power, he’ll almost certainly be willing to fight fire with fire when ‘No Love’ comes at him.
Kara-France perhaps isn’t a UFC flyweight title contender just yet. However, he has claimed two post-fight bonuses in his last two bouts. That means he could be more than willing to go to war with Garbrandt this weekend.
Overall, whether this one goes the distance or one of the two ends up unconscious in the early going, this should be a surefire Fight of the Night contender.
#2. UFC bantamweight bout: Raulian Paiva vs. Sean O’Malley
It’s probably fair to say that Raulian Paiva isn’t the kind of big-name opponent UFC fans hoped would face off with Sean O’Malley this weekend.
‘The Suga Show’ has talked a big game ever since debuting in the UFC in 2017. However, he hasn’t really been tested against an elite-level opponent thus far. Nevertheless, he is a wildly exciting striker, willing to throw low-percentage shots as well as knockout blows.
In his seven-fight UFC career, he has claimed a post-fight bonus on five occasions.
Paiva is naturally not as well-known as O’Malley, but the Brazilian is a hugely talented fighter. He’s on a three-fight winning streak, can strike and grapple equally well, and his most recent win over Kyler Phillips took the Fight of the Night award.
Most fans are expecting a cakewalk for O’Malley in this clash. While it isn’t likely to be that easy for ‘The Suga Show’ by any means, this should still be an excellent fight regardless of what happens.
Considering O’Malley’s lofty reputation with the UFC brass, it seems likely this fight could be a contender for UFC 269’s Fight of the Night.
#1. UFC lightweight title: Charles Oliveira vs. Dustin Poirier
The UFC doesn’t often like to hand their performance bonuses to headline fighters, largely because they’re paid far more than their undercard counterparts already. In terms of UFC 269’s Fight of the Night award, though, the promotion may not have much choice.
It seems highly likely that the UFC lightweight title bout between Charles Oliveira and Dustin Poirier could be the best fight on offer at UFC 269. It could be one of the best bouts of 2021 too. Period.
Both these fighters have been with the UFC for a long time – Oliveira since 2010 and Poirier since 2011.
Frankly, it’s hard to recall either man ever putting on a dull fight. ‘Do Bronx’ and ‘The Diamond’ have a combined UFC record of 39-13-1, and over the years, they’ve claimed a total of 27 post-fight performance bonuses.
More to the point, in a truly ridiculous statistic, of their combined 53 UFC bouts, just eleven have gone the distance. That means the likelihood of this clash going all five rounds is absolutely minimal.
Essentially, it’s highly likely that both Oliveira and Poirier are going to go pedal to the metal when they meet in the octagon this weekend. Regardless of who wins, we should be in for some fireworks.
The idea of the promotion giving them an extra $50K apiece is up for question. However, there can be no doubt that this clash is a definite contender for UFC 269’s Fight of the Night award.
