Max Holloway defends his BMF title against Charles Oliveira at the T-Mobile Arena as an action-packed fight is ready to take place in the main event of UFC 326.
Surprisingly, out of the four BMF championship matchups that have occurred, only one has ever been awarded a Fight of the Night (FOTN) bonus, which was given at UFC 300 between Justin Gaethje and Holloway.
Both the Hawaiian and the Brazilian share a total of 34 fight bonuses as they either produce showstopping finishes or incredible scraps.
However, there are three bouts that take place at UFC 326 which may prevail more than the headliner and receive a FOTN bonus.
Drew Dober vs Michael Johnson
We begin with two American lightweight veterans who always look to put on a show and produce more than one crazy moment in the Octagon.
Drew Dober returned to the win column in his last fight, defeating Kyle Prepolec by third-round TKO at UFC Vancouver, breaking his three-fight losing streak.
The 37-year-old doesn’t often go the distance, as 21 of his 28 victories have ended with a finish, 16 by knockout and five by submissions, plus the Nebraska-born fighter’s last eight wins have ended by KO/TKO.
In his UFC career, the former 155-pound contender has earned five FOTN bonuses as there is non-stop action when Dober is involved.
Michael Johnson is currently on a three-fight win streak as he extended his triumphant run with a unanimous decision victory against Daniel Zellhuber at UFC 318.
‘The Menace’ has beaten so many recognisable names in the organisation, which include Dustin Poirier, Edson Barboza and Tony Ferguson.
The 39-year-old claims three FOTN bonuses, despite not winning in any of those bouts, but he has shown that he will do whatever he can to earn an extra $50,000.
Ever since this battle was announced, it sent fireworks through the MMA community, especially since the lightweights are among the most entertaining to watch in the UFC.
Gregory Rodrigues vs Brunno Ferreira
Just like the main event, we witness a rematch that was far more recent, as two Brazilians decide whether history will repeat itself in Las Vegas.
Gregory Rodrigues is on a back-to-back win after beating Roman Kopylov by unanimous decision and brutally knocking out Jack Hermansson in the first round.
‘Robocop’ doesn’t often visit the judges’ scorecards, holding a total of 14 finishes, with 11 victories ending by KO/TKO; six of those have happened in the UFC.
The #13 middleweight contender has earned three FOTN bonuses, one of which featured him in a four-round war with Jared Cannonier in the headliner of UFC Vegas 102.
Brunno Ferreira went the distance for the first time in his MMA career, defeating Marvin Vettori by unanimous decision at UFC 323 and extending his win streak to three.
While he has recently become more of a submission artist, ‘The Hulk’ has nine knockouts on his record, with seven ending in the first round, including his debut win against his upcoming familiar foe at UFC 283.
Due to all of his first and second-round finishes, the 33-year-old has yet to receive a FOTN bonus, but his constant impressive performances have shown that he does not need one.
Rodrigues seeks revenge in order to keep his spot in the 185-pound rankings, but Ferreira wants to replicate his victory to climb from #15.
Donte Johnson vs Cody Brundage
A preliminary card matchup featuring two Americans who will live by the sword and die by the sword to collect a showstopping victory.
Johnson was a debutant in his last fight, securing his first submission win by second-round Ninja Choke against Sedriques Dumas at UFC Vegas 110.
‘Lockjaw’ is undefeated and has a 100% finish rate with seven fights, as six of those have ended by KO/TKO in the first round, clearly showing he’s not messing around as soon as he enters the Octagon.
The 27-year-old received a Performance of the Night (POTN) bonus on his UFC debut and if he shows a high and heavy pace against his opponent, he could be in for another $50,000.
Cody Brundage has already fought this year, suffering a second-round TKO loss against Cam Rowston at UFC 325, making him winless in his last three bouts.
The Chapin-born mixed martial artist is not someone who goes the distance often, claiming nine finishes from 11 victories, with six by KO/TKO and three by submission.
The 31-year-old has received two POTN bonuses in his UFC career, and while he hasn’t a FOTN bonus, he did have a stand-out one-round war with Julian Marquez at UFC Vegas 103.
With both men expected to earn a stoppage win in their scheduled three-round contest, it may just be a thrilling scrap that will get the crowd going before the main card.
Discussion about this post