5 contenders for the Fight of the Night award at UFC 269

#4. UFC featherweight bout: Josh Emmett vs. Dan Ige

Josh Emmett has already produced an instant classic in 2021. Can he produce another at UFC 269?

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.

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#3. UFC flyweight bout: Kai Kara-France vs. Cody Garbrandt

Win or lose, Cody Garbrandt’s fight with Kai Kara-France at UFC 269 should be explosive.

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.