The widely predicted Fight of the Night took place in London
The UFC handed out four post-fight bonuses following Saturday’s card, including two for a fight most predicted would last Fight of the Night.
After UFC 286, four fighters cashed in an additional $50,000 for their performances in London. Check out the winners below.
Performance of the night: Jake Hadley
March 18, 2023; London, United Kingdom; Jake Hadley (red gloves) fights Malcolm Gordon (not pictured) at UFC 286 at the O2 Arena. Mandatory Credit: Per Haljestam-USA TODAY Sports
Jake Hadley defeated. Malcolm Gordon via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:01
[autotag]Jake Hadley[/autotag] (9-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) needed a great performance to get the taste of defeat out of his mouth in his UFC debut. He came through with flying colors with a 61-second TKO from Malcolm Gordon (14-7 MMA, 2-4 UFC) who started with two shots to the body. Gordon also lacked the weight, so Hadley got 30 percent of his check on top of his own salary and bonus.
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Performance of the night: Gunnar Nelson
March 18, 2023; London, United Kingdom; Gunnar Nelson (red gloves) prepares to fight Bryan Barberena (not pictured) during UFC 286 at the O2 Arena. Mandatory Credit: Per Haljestam-USA TODAY Sports
Gunnar Nelson defeated. Bryan Barberena via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 4:51
A year after returning from a 30-month layoff with a decision win, Jiu-Jitsu stood out [autotag]Gunnar Nelson[/autotag] (19-5-1 MMA, 10-5 UFC) picked up his first submission win in more than four years when he defeated Bryan Barberena (18-10 MMA, 9-8 UFC) with a rear-naked choke in the first round defeated .
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Fight of the night: Justin Gaethje vs. Rafael Fiziev
Justin Gaethje defeated. Rafael Fiziev
Justin Gaethje defeated. Rafael Fiziev by majority vote (29-28, 29-28, 28-28)
[autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] (24-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) and [autotag]Rafael Fiziev[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) were already fight of the night winners on paper before fight week started. They lived up to the hype. After some back and forth at the start of two rounds, Gaethje had a little more in the tank and did more damage in the third. He finished with two 29-28 points but settled for a 28-28 tie on a third map from a judge who gave Fiziev the first two rounds but gave Gaethje a 10-8 in the last round. Gaethje now has 11 post-fight bonuses in 11 UFC fights; Fiziev has six out of eight fights in the company.
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Story originally appeared on MMA Junkie
