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

#2. UFC bantamweight bout: Raulian Paiva vs. Sean O’Malley

Can Sean O’Malley add another performance bonus to his ledger at UFC 269 this weekend?

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.

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#1. UFC lightweight title: Charles Oliveira vs. Dustin Poirier

Dustin Poirier is expected to deliver fireworks against Charles Oliveira this weekend.

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.