The UFC 286 event tonight was packed with many memorable moments that should go down in MMA history. Fight of the night honors went to the lightweight encounter between Justin Gaethje and Rafael Fiziev, which was the co-headliner event of the premier British celebration of the biggest Mixed Martial Arts promotion in the world.
After an absence, UFC made its way back to London. On the main event of UFC 286, which took place at The O2 Arena, Leon Edwards successfully defended his welterweight title by defeating Kamaru Usman. The British spectators sitting in the gallery could not have enjoyed the night more as their hometown hero won.
A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR THESE WARRIORS đ #UFC286 pic.twitter.com/xPfcxAC85l
— UFC (@ufc) March 18, 2023
Who were the lucky winners of the UFC 286 Bonus?
Despite Rocky’s impressive victory over The Nigerian Nightmare in the main event fight, the co-main event fighters grabbed the Fight of the Night bonus. Let’s take a look at the fighters who ended the night with bonus money in their pockets.
The co-main event of the evening included a fight between Justin Gaethje and Rafael Fiziev. In a brutally intense fight for the lightweight division, The Highlight and Ataman squared off against one another. The Azerbaijani fighter’s unbeaten run of six fights came to an end when Justin won the fight by majority decision (29-28 x2, 28-28).
The fight that put everybody on their feet! đĽ
Everybody's FOTN:đď¸@Justin_Gaethje versus đ@RafaelFiziev! #UFC286 pic.twitter.com/irTZELBGER
— UFC_Asia (@UFC_Asia) March 19, 2023
The bout between Justin Gaethje and Rafael Fiziev was undoubtedly the most entertaining for the audience. Both of the lightweight competitors fought their hearts out in an effort to come out on top. The bloodied face of Raafel has already generated a lot of talks among UFC fans. In general, there is little question regarding whether this fight deserves to be the FOTN.
In one of the other welterweight bouts that took place on the main card, Gunnar Nelson won by submission in the fourth minute of the first round against Bryan Barberena. Due to the sheer dominance shown by ‘Gunni,’ he was able to defeat ‘Bam Bam’ and take home a bonus of fifty thousand dollars.
Thank you London #UFC286 pic.twitter.com/Me6L9R53YM
— Gunnar Nelson (@GunniNelson) March 19, 2023
In the other spectacular performance of the evening, flyweight contender Jake Hadley (10-1-0) prevailed over Malcolm Gordon (14-7-0). In the early preliminary bout, White Kong earned an additional $50,000 thanks to the first-round knockout victory he earned over his Canadian opponent.
THAT WILL GET THE PEOPLE GOING!!!!! đ¤Ż@JakeHadleyMMA with a first round finish at #UFC286 pic.twitter.com/AckCQbjUli
— UFC (@ufc) March 18, 2023
What are your thoughts on the fighters who were honored with the Bonus of the Night awards at UFC 286? Share your opinion in the comment section.
