5 most explosive moments from UFC 274: Charles Oliveira vs. Justin Gaethje

#4. Brandon Royval and Matt Schell put on an explosive fight in general

Brandon Royval and Matt Schnell produced last night's best fight overall

UFC 274’s Fight of the Night award unsurprisingly went to flyweights Brandon Royval and Matt Schnell, who put on one of the most explosive fights in recent memory. They both ended up $50k richer for it.

This was a wild, back-and-forth encounter. While Royval ended up coming away with his hand raised, Schnell should certainly not feel ashamed of his performance. On many nights, ‘Danger’ probably would’ve claimed victory instead.

The fight began with a wild exchange of strikes. Despite ‘Raw Dawg’ looking more comfortable, it was Schnell who landed the best shots, dropping Royval with a combination that appeared to turn off his lights for a second.

Royval snapped back into consciousness when he hit the ground. He instantly went into attack mode with his submissions instead. Schnell seemed happy to fight fire with fire but, while he did come close with a choke, it proved to be a mistake.

After a scramble, ‘Raw Dawg’ caught Schnell’s neck in a tight guillotine. Before the hold appeared to be fully tightened up, ‘Danger’ was forced to tap out desperately, even using both hands to do so.

This was an excellent win for Royval and, given his previous victories in the UFC, it could propel him towards a future title shot. Even if that’s not the case, he should definitely get a main card showcase next time out thanks to this explosive showing.

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#3. Andre Fialho picks up his second UFC win in a month with a violent left hook

Andre Fialho knocked Cameron VanCamp senseless with a left hand

When Andre Fialho took a late-notice fight with newcomer Cameron VanCamp at last night’s event just three weeks after knocking out Miguel Baeza, it seemed like a largely needless risk for the Portuguese welterweight to take.

After all, it wasn’t like he was doing the UFC a favor by stepping in. VanCamp wasn’t initially booked to fight, meaning Fialho wasn’t stepping in as an injury replacement – something that usually puts a fighter in the promotion’s good books.

In the end, though, his gamble paid off, big time. Not only did he defeat VanCamp, he did so in truly explosive fashion, netting himself a cool $50k performance bonus in the process.

VanCamp didn’t look comfortable on the feet from the off in the bout. It always seemed like only a matter of time before Fialho landed something nasty. Sure enough, midway through the first round, he landed a brutal left hook, waylaying the newcomer. A follow-up right hand made sure the fight was over.

This was, in many ways, a better finish than his knockout of Baeza and, on many other events, it would’ve stolen the show entirely. Overall, it looks like his future is very bright indeed.