5 likely contenders for the Fight of the Night award at UFC 271

This weekend sees UFC 271 go down from Houston, Texas. While this event isn’t the most loaded card of all time, it should still be an entertaining one to watch.

UFC 271 not only features a huge headline fight between Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker with the middleweight title on the line, but a number of other exciting fighters feature on the undercard.

This means that there should be a number of potential candidates for the Fight of the Night award this weekend, with plenty of fighters vying for that all-important $50k bonus.

With that in mind, here are five likely contenders for the Fight of the Night award at UFC 271.

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#5. UFC middleweight title: Israel Adesanya vs. Robert Whittaker

Israel Adesanya's rematch with Robert Whittaker could produce some real fireworks

There’s no doubt that the middleweight title bout between Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker has the potential to be one of 2022’s most memorable fights.

Adesanya and Whittaker are almost undisputedly the best two 185lbers on the planet right now. Between them, they’ve essentially cleaned out one of the deepest divisions that the UFC has to offer currently.

So can these two middleweight stars put together a fight worthy of winning a $50k bonus? It’s definitely possible. After all, some of their previous clashes – Adesanya’s fight with Kelvin Gastelum, for instance, and Whittaker’s two with Yoel Romero – were outright classics.

There are a couple of things standing against them, though. Firstly, the promotion usually avoids handing the Fight of the Night bonus to the headliner unless it’s a clear classic. After all, the headline fighters tend to be the most highly paid on the card anyway.

Secondly, and probably more importantly, their first meeting was hugely one-sided and there are certainly question marks over whether Whittaker can make the adjustments needed to avoid this rematch going the same way.

However, with the high stakes and the brilliant ability of both men inside the octagon, then it’d be impossible to write this one off as a contender for the most outstanding fight this weekend.

#4. UFC flyweight bout: Roxanne Modafferi vs. Casey O’Neill

Casey O'Neill will be hoping to knock off veteran Roxanne Modafferi in an exciting-sounding fight this weekend

The women’s flyweight division is often one of the more maligned weight classes in the UFC and it’s largely with good reason. For the most part, the division feels thin on talent, with champion Valentina Shevchenko standing absolutely miles above every other fighter.

However, the clash this weekend between veteran contender Roxanne Modafferi and hot prospect Casey O’Neill sounds like an absolutely outstanding one and could definitely be an under-the-radar contender for Fight of the Night.

O’Neill, quite rightly, should come in as the hot favorite. The Scotland-born, Australia-based ‘King Casey’ is unbeaten at 8-0. She’s looked fantastic in the octagon thus far, putting beatdowns on Shana Dobson, Lara Procopio and Antonina Shevchenko.

However, Modafferi certainly isn’t a stranger to upsetting the odds against a favored opponent. ‘The Happy Warrior’ has always been an excellent grappler, but she’s now improved her strength and conditioning hugely. Early 2020 saw her knock off another hot prospect in Maycee Barber.

These two women will probably go move-for-move on the ground. So, if they scramble and exchange positions and submission attempts, they may well put on a hugely entertaining battle. If they can do this, they might steal the show and find themselves $50k richer at the end of it.

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#3. UFC flyweight bout: Alex Perez vs. Matt Schnell

Alex Perez remains one of the world's most dangerous flyweight fighters

The flyweight division has always had a tendency to produce exciting fights. The clash between Alex Perez and Matt Schnell on UFC 271’s undercard is unlikely to be an exception. There’s a definite chance that this fight could produce something special.

For Perez, it marks a chance to get back into the saddle following his devastating loss to Deiveson Figueiredo in his first title bout in December 2020. Perez hoped to push the Brazilian hard, but ended up being caught in a guillotine choke before two minutes had even gone.

Prior to that, though, he’d been on a fantastic run in the octagon, going 6-1 with stoppages of Jose Torres, Carls John de Tomas, Jordan Espinosa and Jussier Formiga. With skill in all areas, Perez remains one of the most dangerous 125lbers on the roster.

Schnell, meanwhile, was not expected to do all that well in the UFC after arriving there via TUF 24. However, after a tricky start he’s now won five of his last seven bouts, shining in wins over Tyson Nam and Jordan Espinosa in particular.

Aggression is the name of the game for ‘Danger’, whether he’s fighting on the feet or the ground. That may well play into the hands of Perez, but either way, this should be a wild, back-and-forth fight that isn’t likely to go the distance.

So if both men produce their best, it’s definitely likely to be a contender for this weekend’s Fight of the Night award.

#2. UFC middleweight bout: Jared Cannonier vs. Derek Brunson

Jared Cannonier will look to trade bombs with Derek Brunson this weekend

In terms of the impact that it might have on the middleweight title picture, the bout between Jared Cannonier and Derek Brunson is probably the second-most important one on the card at UFC 271 this weekend.

However, it’s also likely to produce some real fireworks. If things go the way that most fans will be hoping, there’s definitely a chance that these two 185lbers produce a Fight of the Night contender.

Both Brunson and Cannonier carry serious knockout power in their strikes, with ‘The Killa Gorilla’ arguably being the heaviest hitter in the entire middleweight division right now.

In fact, across their tenures with the UFC, the two middleweights have produced a combined total of 12 knockout finishes, with their victims including fighters like Uriah Hall, Anderson Silva, Jack Hermansson and Lyoto Machida.

Sure, there’s the chance that Brunson decides to focus on his wrestling, meaning he could attempt to slow the pace down and largely neutralize Cannonier. However, ‘The Killa Gorilla’ is powerful and has excellent takedown defense.

Therefore, it’s more likely that we’ll see a straight-up shootout on the feet when these two men clash. The likelihood of a knockout therefore seems high. If both men can manage to land their best shots, then we could be in for a classic.

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#1. UFC heavyweight bout: Derrick Lewis vs. Tai Tuivasa

Derrick Lewis's fight with Tai Tuivasa seems absolutely certain to produce serious fireworks

The bout that seems most likely to win the Fight of the Night award at UFC 271 is undoubtedly the co-headliner between heavyweight contenders Derrick Lewis and Tai Tuivasa. Overall, this sounds like the kind of battle that could steal the show entirely.

Both men carry violent knockout power and are very used to leaving their opponents in an unconscious heap. Interestingly enough, neither man appears to have the best chin despite their reputations for brawling.

This means that their fight should have an added amount of jeopardy; essentially, the first man to land a clean shot on the other is highly likely to come away with their hand raised.

Usually, you’d worry that this jeopardy would lead to a staring contest, but neither man seems capable of such a thing, particularly Tuivasa. ‘Bam Bam’ only appears to know one way of fighting – throwing down with his opponent until one of them falls down.

‘The Black Beast’ is highly likely to fight fire with fire if Tuivasa approaches their clash in this manner, meaning that for as long as it lasts – and it might not be that long – fans could be treated to one of the wildest fights in recent memory.