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

#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.