Bonus Coverage | UFC Fight Night: Dern vs Hill

Fight Of The Night: Mackenzie Dern vs Angela Hill

What a performance from Mackenzie Dern. Her third main event was her best one yet, as she brought the fight to Angela Hill for 25 minutes.

Dern showcased an improved stand-up game paired with a mean ground and pound strikes that overwhelmed “Overkill”. But Hill was able to stay in the fight, not giving up for a second. On more than one occasion Dern nearly had an armbar submission but Hill’s outstanding defense prevented the multiple time jiu jitsu world champion from adding to her UFC strawweight submission record.

In the third round Dern landed a devastating step-in knee that wobbled Hill. It was an impressive wrinkle that Dern added to since her last time out.

It’s evident that Dern’s striking has become another area where strawweights need to take notice.

Performance Of The Night Bonuses 

Performance Of The Night: Viacheslav Borshchev

After a first round eye-poke, it was unclear if Viacheslav Borshchev would be able to deliver the sensational knockout he had hoped versus Maheshate.

In the second round Borshchev found the mark and earned a highlight reel worthy KO despite his vision being compromised. It was a beautiful performance from Borshchev and just proves that the lightweight striker can compete with any of the killers in the UFC’s most stacked division.

Performance Of The Night: Diego Ferreira

Now that’s the way to announce you’re back.

Diego Ferreira connected with a picture-perfect right hand that knocked out longtime contender Michael Johnson at UFC Fight Night: Dern vs Hill. It was a huge moment for Ferreira who couldn’t help but be emotional after the win. Ferreira has fought some of the best lightweights in the top 15 and a win of this caliber might put him right back into the mix.

Performance Of The Night Bonuses 

Performance Of The Night: Jailton Almeida

The Dana White’s Contender Series alumnus aced his first main event test with ease in Charlotte. Within the first frame, Jailton Almeida melted Jairzinho Rozenstruik the way he has with each of his opponents in his young UFC career – takedown, methodical ground-and-pound to the rear naked choke. Almeida loudly announced himself as a force the top-10 has to reckon with sooner than later. 

Performance Of The Night: Ian Machado Garry

Facing his first top-15 test, the undefeated Ian Machado Garry dispatched of Daniel Rodriguez with ease. Making the most of his great speed, Machado Garry patiently managed the distance on the feet and kicked Rodriguez’s body before uncorking a high kick that essentially ended the fight. 

At 14-0, the brash “Future” made it known: he wants the slow grind to the top, but if he turns in performances like that, his path might look more like an inside track. 

Performance Of The Night: Carlos Ulberg

New Zealand’s Carlos Ulberg did it again. When his opponent rushed in on him, Ulberg faded back and planted a check lead hook on Ihor Potieria that sent him crashing to the canvas. That makes for four wins in a row and three via knockout for Ulberg, and he could very well have a top-15 test coming sooner than later. 

Performance Of The Night: Matt Brown

Few fighters have aged more aptly into their nickname than “The Immortal” Matt Brown. At 42 years old, he tied the UFC knockout record with a dynamite right hand planted on Court McGee in the first round of their duel. It was yet another example of Brown’s thunderous power, and showed that even at his advanced age, he has plenty of fight left in him. 

UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs Almeida Attendance, Records and Gate

18,712 (sellout)

$2.09m

Highest attended fight night in the United States ever

Fight Of The Night: Movsar Evloev vs Diego Lopes

In a dicey situation, Movsar Evloev welcomed Diego Lopes on short-notice, and the UFC debutant gave the undefeated Evloev everything he could handle for three rounds. 

Lopes got his licks in early on Evloev and threatened myriad submissions, but Evloev showed his experience and methodically broke down Lopes. Evloev’s defense tightened up, and as Lopes fatigued, Evloev showed why he is one of the more exciting featherweight prospects in the top-10 right now. Tip of the hat to Lopes, however, for testing Evloev despite taking the fight on five days’ notice. 

Performance Of The Night Bonuses 

Performance Of The Night: Yan Xiaonan

Yan Xiaonan delivered the best performance of her life in the biggest fight of her career against former strawweight champion Jéssica Andrade. Xiaonan looked sharp and quick early, and when a frustrated Andrade blitzed forward, Xiaonan evaded, planted her feet and uncorked a furious right hand that sent the Brazilian crashing to the canvas. The result likely secured a title shot for China’s first female fighter.

Performance Of The Night: Matt Frevola

“Steamrolla” locked in the best result of his career against the all-action Drew Dober. In a high-octane first round, Frevola and Dober came out swinging, but Frevola’s shots were a bit cleaner early. When Dober applied some pressure, Frevola rocked Dober with a quick punch followed with a right hook that sat down Dober and got the stoppage.

UFC 288: Sterling vs Cejudo Attendance, Records and Gate

Gross Total Revenue: $5,182,210.36 (Announced Live Gate)

Attendance: 17,559 (Sold Out)

Highest grossing sporting event in Prudential Center History

Performance Of The Night Bonuses 

Performance Of The Night: Song Yadong

A short notice step up to the his second main event was no challenge for China's Song Yadong, who came away with a major victory over 10th-ranked Ricky Simon.

The bantamweights put on a banger of a main event, putting their striking — and Song's grappling defense — on display. The matchup somehow made it into the fifth round before Song dropped Simon with a massive left hand that had stung him at the end of the fourth round. The strike sat Simon down before Song finished it off with a barrage of punches and, of course, a fantastic callout of either Sean O'Malley or Marlon 'Chito' Vera for his next fight.

Performance Of The Night: Caio Borralho

Brazil's Caio Borralho extended his unbeaten streak inside the Octagon in his fourth UFC showing with a statement finish over Michal Oleksiejczuk in the night's co-main event.

"The Natural" made his ground game look like easy work, dropping Oleksiejczuk in the second before climbing to his back and sinking in a solid rear-naked choke.

Performance Of The Night: Rodolfo Vieira

UFC Middleweight Rodolfo Vieira became the personification of resilience in his first fight in ten months, bouncing back from his loss to Chris Curtis last June in a big way against Cody Brundage.

After being dominated by Brundage throughout the entire first round, Vieira bounced back with in the second after countering a guillotine attempt of Brundage's and turning it into a submission attempt of his own. A textbook arm triangle for the world champion submission grappler earned him some extra cash.

Performance Of The Night: Marcus McGhee

In just a handful of days, Arizona's Marcus McGhee went from hoping to one day fight inside the Octagon to coming away big in his UFC debut, with a massive second-round finish and an extra $50 thousand in his pocket.

After a back-and-forth opening round, McGhee dropped Journey Newson with a cross, creating the perfect window for him to jump on the bantamweight's back and lock up a rear-naked choke in probably the biggest moment of his career to date.

Performance Of The Night Bonuses 

Performance Of The Night: Sergei Pavlovich

Sergei Pavlovich earned his sixth straight first-round finish against Curtis Blaydes in his first main event on Saturday night, giving him a strong case for a title shot. Both heavyweights were exchanging punches throughout the first minutes of the round, with some getting through. As the round progressed, Pavlovich’s power continued to dominant as he landed a blow that sent Blaydes down to the canvas. This marks Pavlovich’s sixth victory in a row.

Performance Of The Night: Bruno Silva

Brazil’s Bruno Silva got back into the win column after earning a first-round stoppage over Brad Tavares in the co-main event. Tavares came out swinging, showing his technical striking, but as Silva started to find his groove he became a dangerous man inside the Octagon. A knee up in the middle, followed by a left hand that put Tavares down and sent the referee over to intervene.

Performance Of The Night: Christos Giagos 

Christian Giagos first fight in nearly a year did not disappoint as he made a statement with his first-round knockout over Ricky Glenn inside the UFC APEX. It only took 95 seconds for Giagos to get the job done as he hit Glenn with a right hand that sent Glenn face-first to the canvas.

Performance Of The Night: Montel Jackson

A first-round knockout over Rani Yahya gave Montel Jackson his fourth straight victory. The 30-year-old hit Yahya with a left hook that put him down, followed up by some punches to seal the deal at 3:42 of the first round. The Dana White’s Contender Series alum is now 13-2 as he continues to make a case for himself in the bantamweight division.

Fight Of The Night: Bill Algeo vs TJ Brown

Off the rip it was evident that featherweights Bill Algeo and TJ Brown were going to put on a banger for KCMO fight fans.

Round one was a strong one for one of Arkansas' finest, as "Downtown" TJ Brown had his foot on the gas for all five minutes. He had success, peppering Algeo and keeping everyone on the edge of their seat. In the second round Algeo turned the tide quickly, thanks to a short elbow that dropped Brown.

Algeo pounced on the opportunity, as "El Senior Perfecto" went to the canvas and sunk in the rear naked choke. It was a great win and one heck of an Octagon interview for Algeo.

Performance Of The Night Bonuses 

Performance Of The Night: Edson Barboza

Edson Barboza hasn't fallen off one bit.

The longtime lightweight and featherweight contender continued to showcase why he's one of the most popular fighters in the sport at UFC Kansas City. Tasked with dispatching a rising and game Billy Quarantillo, Barboza delivered a classic Edson Barboza performance.

Retreating around the outside of the Octagon about halfway through the first round, Barboza countered a "Billy Q" strike with a lighting quick knee that put Quarantillo out cold. It was epic.

It was Barboza's sixth finish by kick or knee, that's second most in UFC history only trailing Donald Cerrone (7).

Performance Of The Night: Brandon Royval

What a return to action for flyweight Brandon Royval.

Royval, who is usually pure chaos the second he steps in the Octagon, took a more measured approach versus Matheus Nicolau at UFC Kansas City. And it paid off big time.

Early in the first round Royval hit Nicolau with a step in knee that dropped the Brazilian contender. Royval followed up with some ground and pound elbows that put an end to his work night early. It was the perfect statement for Royval as he continues to show why he could be the next flyweight to fight for the title.

Performance Of The Night: Gillian Robertson

The move to strawweight paid immediate dividends for Gillian Robertson.

"The Savage" dominated Piera Rodriguez from start-to-finish, securing a second round armbar submission. There was some question whether or not Rodriguez tapped, but the writing was on the wall and Robertson left Missouri as the only fighter to ever hand Rodriguez a loss.

UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs Allen Attendance, Records and Gate

Attendance: 16,234
Gross Total Revenue: $2,180,096.00 [Announced Live Gate]

Fight Of The Night: Chris Curtis vs Kelvin Gastelum

Middleweights Chris Curtis and Kelvin Gastelum put on an incredible performance for the fight fans in Miami.

Both men stood toe-to-toe for 15 minutes and threw hands and showcased why they are must-watch every time they compete. Each fighter had moments, but Gastelum's efficiency and his power made the difference over the course of the fight.

The win was particularly sweet for Gastelum, who earned a victory after a lengthy time away and couldn't help but yell in excitement after hearing the judge's scorecards. It was an instant contender for Fight of the Year and one we'll be talking about for a long time.

Performance Of The Night Bonuses 

Performance Of The Night: Israel Adesanya

OH MY GOSH ISRAEL ADESANYA.

The middleweight king reclaimed his throne in one of the wildest ways we've ever seen. Up against the Octagon, "The Last Stylebender" fired off a lighting fast right hand that whipped rival Alex Pereira's head back. As Pereira brought his head back up Adesanya landed a nearly identical punch that put Pereira to the canvas.

Adesanya pounced and put the lights out on the Pereira, finally beating his rival and celebrating with a stone-cold archer celebration that was all-time. Absolutely stunning.

Performance Of The Night: Rob Font

If you had Rob Font vs Adrian Yanez circled on your bingo card as a banger you were right on the money.

The bantamweight showdown didn't make it to the first bell but it was epic as long as it lasted. Yanez started off fast, finding success and quickly causing damage to Font's eye. But the veteran contender woke up and started connecting on massive shots that stunned Yanez. That's when Font hit Yanez with a punch that sent the rising young fighter flying back and to then to the floor. It was truly epic win for the New England Cartel captain.

UFC 287: Pereira vs Adesanya 2 Attendance, Records and Gate

Gate: $11,943,363.20 (Announced Live Gate)

Attendance: 19,032 (Sold Out)

Highest grossing event ever in Kaseya Center history

6th highest grossing event in UFC history

Fight Of The Night: CJ Vergara vs Daniel Lacerda

It was only the second fight of the night, but it was one that people will be talking about for days to come after UFC San Antonio concludes. Daniel Lacerda started the fight strong, landing a series of punches that looked like they might put CJ Vergara away early.

The hometown favorite, Vergara wasn’t going to go down without a fight in front of the San Antonio crowd, as he got out of the first round and turned things around in the second frame. With one minute left to go in the round, Vergara started laying it on the Brazilian forcing the ref to come in and stop it. A true comeback by Vergara that had everyone inside the arena on their feet and everyone outside the arena talking.

Performance Of The Night Bonuses 

Performance Of The Night: Nate Landwehr 

“Nate The Train” came rolling through San Antonio, Texas as he submitted Austin Lingo in the second round to earn his third straight victory inside the Octagon.

Both men were exchanging punches in the first round, with Landwehr turning it up a notch as the second round got underway. Landwehr landed a head kick that seemed to rattle Lingo and from then on it was only a matter of time before the fight would come to a halt. Once the two ended up on the canvas, Landwehr locked in a rear-naked choke forcing Lingo to tap.

Performance Of The Night: Daniel Pineda 

Daniel Pineda returned to action for the first time in almost two years and made the most of his return, submitting Tucker Lutz in the second round. After the two spent the first round, Pineda picked things up in the second. The Texas native hurt Lutz with a knee which would later lead to Pineda securing the guillotine choke. All 28 of Pineda’s wins have come inside the distance.

UFC Fight Night: Vera vs Sandhagen Attendance, Records and Gate

Attendance: 16,076 (sold out)
Gate: $2.15 million

Fight Of The Night: Justin Gaethje vs Rafael Fiziev 

The co-main event between Justin Gaethje and Rafael Fiziev exceeded the expectations it had set from the moment it was announced. It was a back and forth battle, ultimately being sent off to the judges who sent Gaethje home the winner by majority decision.

Fiziev started off quick earning success against “The Highlight” in the first round, but Gaethje soon started to pick things up, landing punches that started to cut open Fiziev. The bruising and bloodiness continued into the third round with Gaethje shooting some punches that had the crowd filled with excitement.

It was an unforgettable matchup between two exciting lightweights that will be talked about for some time to come.

Performance Of The Night Bonuses 

Performance Of The Night: Jake Hadley 

It was an easy night in the office for Jake Hadley as he submitted Malcolm Gordon 61 seconds into the fight. After the two spent a few seconds feeling each other out in the canvas, Hadley threw a body shot followed by some jabs that sent Gordon down.

From there, the night was over after the ref stepped in, sending Hadley and the O2 crowd into celebration mode. This marks Hadley’s second victory in a row.

Performance Of The Night: Gunnar Nelson

Gunnar Nelson earned his second straight win in London after submitting Bryan Barberena by arm bar with seconds left in the first round.

Nelson showed his grappling abilities from the beginning of the fight and continued to march forward even after Barberena tried to throw a few leg kicks. Once the two made their way to the canvas, there was no going back as Nelson threw elbows, continuing to work as he made his way to the arm bar submission.

UFC 286: Edwards vs Usman 3 Attendance, Records and Gate

Attendance: 17,588 (sold out)
Gate: £7,030,490/$8,577,197

Highest grossing event in O2 Arena history 

Fight Of The Night: Vitor Petrino vs Anton Turkalj

Few people had this one circled as a certified banger, particularly on such a stacked and entertaining card, but Vitor Petrino vs Anton Turkalj kicked off the main card with a contest that set the tone for the rest of the evening.

It’s remarkable that this one went the distance considering both light heavyweights found their mark on repeated occasions. As the fifteen minutes wore on, it was the Brazilian Petrino who started to pull away on the scorecards, despite some wild attacks from his opponent. With the win, Petrino is already on the short list for debut of the year.

Performance Of The Night Bonuses 

Performance Of The Night: Davey Grant

Veteran Raphael Assuncao had indicated this week that it was likely his last visit to the Octagon, and for the better part of the fight, it looked like he might go out with a victory, particularly after his opponent, Davey Grant, had a point deducted. But with the card stacked against him, “Dangerous” went into beast mode and ended the fight in the waning seconds with only the fourth inverted triangle choke submission in UFC history.

Performance Of The Night: Bruno Silva

Despite being two years removed from Octagon, Bruno Silva displayed zero sign of ring rust as he notched his third straight finish victory against veteran Tyson Nam. Speedy, strong and surgical, Silva’s three-fight win streak sends a clear notice to the rest of the flyweight division.

Fight Of The Night: Geoff Neal vs Shavkat Rakhmonov

These two welterweight contenders did not disappoint.

Geoff Neal and Shavkat Rakhmonov laid it all on the line for almost 15 full-minutes before Rakhmonov secured a standing rear naked choke forcing Neal to tap. Prior to that jaw dropping moment, both men had big moments on the feet, but it was mainly Rakhmonov deploying a wide variety of strikes leading the dance.

Neal never backed down though, connecting with his own power shots that put Rakhmonov in trouble. It was back-and-forth and gutsy-and-grimy.

Even though Neal missed weight, which would normally mean he was ineligible to receive a bonus, UFC President Dana White loved the fight so much that he decided to make an exception and give “Handz Of Steel” his portion of the bonus.

Rakhmonov is now 17-0 in his professional MMA career, and he’s won each of those fights by either knockout or by submission. He’s the first welterweight in UFC history to begin his career with five consecutive finishes.

That’s impressive stuff for the 28-year-old and fight fans should be ecstatic to see him matchup with the other beasts at the top of the division. Big things are on the way from Rakhmonov – and UFC 285 was the perfect opportunity to prove he absolutely belongs.

Performance Of The Night Bonuses 

Performance Of The Night: Jon Jones

Jon Jones took a long time to come back to action, but he made up for it to fight fans by beating Ciryl Gane 124 seconds.

“Bones” took Gane down after feeling the fight out for a bit on the feet, he worked his way into a mounted position and locked in a guillotine choke. That’s all she wrote.

Just like that, the fighter that many believe is the ‘G.O.A.T.’ added another bullet to his resume which likely proves he’s just that. With the win Jones became the 8th fighter in UFC history to become a champion in two different divisions and he’s the 18th undisputed UFC heavyweight champion overall.

Jones’ win adds to his legacy and opens the door wide open for his future in the heavyweight division.

Performance Of The Night: Alexa Grasso

What an amazing showcase of focus from Alexa Grasso.

The once-strawweight contender made the switch to flyweight and has flourished on her way to challenging longtime champion Valentina Shevchenko. She capped of that brilliant decision with a stunning rear naked choke win over “Bullet” at UFC 285.

Grasso took Shevchenko’s back in the final minute of the third round after Shevchenko threw a spinning kick. Grasso rushed to Shevchenko and got her hooks in and arms around Shevchenko’s neck in an instant. She applied the pressure and Shevchenko was forced to tap.

With the victory, Grasso became the Mexico’s first female UFC champioin.

Alexa Grasso, you are the new flyweight champion of the world.

Performance Of The Night: Bo Nickal

The debut of Bo Nickal was worth the wait as the wrestling phenom proved he’s well on his way to becoming a superstar in the Octagon.

Nickal quickly pressured Jamie Pickett and was able to get his foe to the canvas. From there he positioned himself for an arm triangle submission. He was patient and he waited until he found the right grip and position to really lock in the choke. Pickett tapped and just like that, Bo Nickal had arrived.

Welcome to the Bo show.

UFC 285: Jones vs Gane Attendance, Records and Gate

Attendance: 19,471 (Sold Out)

Gross Total Revenue: USD $12,154, 753.10

4th highest in UFC history, highest ever for a heavyweight bout

Performance Of The Night Bonuses 

Performance Of The Night: Brendan Allen

Brendan Allen made the most of the surprise spotlight against Andre Muniz when upgraded into the main event the day of the fight. Against the highly touted Muniz, Allen showed his skills on the feet, reversed Muniz on a takedown and finished his work with a methodically worked rear-naked choke in the third round. 

Performance Of The Night: Tatiana Suarez

After more than three years away, Tatiana Suarez returned with some fury against Montana De La Rosa. In a pitstop at flyweight before returning to strawweight, Suarez implemented her usual brand of exhaustive grappling. In the second round, she secured a front-headlock position in the middle of the Octagon and jumped into a guillotinechoke that earned her the second-round finish.  

Performance Of The Night: Mike Malott

Malott secured yet another first-round finish in his sophomore appearance with his submission victory over fellow Canadian Yohan Lainesse. Ontario’s “Proper” prospect started off patient, capitalzing on Lainesse’s overextension to secure the takedown and work toward the arm-triangle finish.

Performance Of The Night: Trevor Peek

In his UFC debut, Trevor Peek showed the UFC brass exactly what he means when he described himself as violent and mean. Peek came out aggressive early, and late in the first frame, he connected with several sledgehammers on Erick Gonzalez. Eventually, he overwhelmed his opponent and earned the stoppage right before the end of the round. 

Performance Of The Night: Jordan Leavitt

Normally known as a grappler, Jordan Leavitt bounced back from his disappointment in London with a vicious knockout win over Victor Martinez. In the first round, the UFC debutant Martinez was aggressive, but Leavitt found his way to a nice clinch, and from there, he landed several knees to Martinez’s dome that put him away and placed Leavitt back in the win-column. 

Performance Of The Night: Joe Solecki

Solecki was at his backpacking-best against Carl Deaton en route to a second-round submission win. In the first round, Solecki worked his way to Deaton’s back and threatened chokes for the majority of the round, and much of the same occurred in the second round. It was a nice and tidy effort from the Contender Series graduate as he looks to climb the lightweight ladder.

Fight Of The Night: Nazim Sadykhov vs Evan Elder

These lightweights seeking their first UFC victories put on a show in the UFC APEX. Nazim Sadykhov and Evan Elder went back-and-forth for two rounds that showcased that both men were determined to leave it all in the Octagon. The pace was breakneck. It featured power shots, variety, and was highly competitive.

An early third-round kick from Sadykhov badly cut Elder’s right eyebrow. The cut immediately caught the eye of the referring prompting referee Mark Smith to stop the fight on the spot.

It’s an unfortunate defeat for Elder, who was up 2-0 on all three of the judges’ scorecards entering the final round and a strong debut for Sadykhov who deserves credit for landing the kick that caused the cut.

Performance Of The Night Bonuses 

Performance Of The Night: Erin Blanchfield

A true contender has revealed herself.

Erin Blanchfield is the real deal ladies and gentlemen. The New Jersey native handled her first main event – which had a big-time opponent change – in the absolute best way possible.

“Cold Blooded” stood for five minutes with former strawweight champion Jessica Andrade for five minutes and proved that she can more than handle herself in the striking game. But in the second, Blanchfield’s bread and butter grappling shined through in the second round when she landed a perfect trip.

She immediately passed Andrade’s guard and then waited for Andrade to make a move to her feet. She quickly sunk in the choke followed by the hooks and forced the tap. It was a big moment for Blanchfield, who is no-longer a prospect. She’s ready to compete with the contenders and maybe even the champ at flyweight.

Performance Of The Night: 

Mayra Bueno Silva continues to excel at bantamweight, as she added another submission win to her record at UFC Fight Night: Andrade vs Blanchfield.

Bueno Silva’s kneebar submission of Lina Lansberg was impressive and shows just how dangerous she is when the fight gets to the canvas.

That’s three wins in a row for Bueno Silva who has her sights on climbing the ranks and making some big noise in 2023.

Fight Of The Night: Islam Makhachev vs Alexander Volkanovski

The hype leading up to a fight between pound-for-pound No. 1 and No. 2, Alexander Volkanovski and Islam Makhachev absolutely lived up it to expectations.

The UFC lightweight champion defended his championship in a hard-fought battle where Makhachev displayed his striking against the pressure of Volkanovski. This fight was no doubt the biggest test of Makhachev's UFC career and proved that Volkanovski can hang with the best lightweight in the world.

The five-round displayed big moments for each fighter, but Makhachev was able to inflict more damage and control Volkanovski more throughout the 25 minutes. Makhachev's first title defense was a close one, but it also came against the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter - no more.

It will be interesting to see what's next for Makhachev and Volkanovski but fight fans will definitely like to see this one again.

Performance Of The Night Bonuses 

Performance Of The Night: Yair Rodriguez

What a moment for Yair Rodriguez.

The journey has had tons of ups and downs for "El Pantera", but this moment will be something he can always look back on with the upmost pride. Rodriguez not only accepted the interim UFC featherweight title but he absolutely showed out against Josh Emmett.

Rodriguez is truly 1-of-1 and he showcased his unique style in the second round, combining dynamic strikes and unorthodox movements on his way to hurting Emmett. Rodriguez threw a flying knee that nearly connected flush. That flying knee allowed Emmett to get some top control, which Rodriguez turned into a triangle choke submission victory.

It was just the third triangle choke submission win in UFC championship fight history and it sets up the featherweight division for an exciting title fight between Rodriguez and incumbent champion Volkanovski.

Performance Of The Night: Jack Della Maddalena

If you didn't think Jack Della Maddalena was the real deal, you better now.

The Perth native completely met every hope and expectation of the 14,000+ Aussie faithful by handling his biggest test yet with flying colors. Della Maddalena's step-up in competition came against Randy Brown, which had fight fans on the edge of their seat. Della Maddalena dropped Brown and then locked up a quick rear-naked choke submission to earn his fourth UFC first-round finish in four fights.

The 26-year-old welterweight is ready for a massive fight at 170lbs and UFC brass will have to give a big ranked fight next time we see him walk to the Octagon.

UFC 284: Makhachev vs Volkanovski Attendance, Records and Gate

Attendance: 14,124 (sold out)

Gross Total Revenue: AUS $5,911,598 / USD $4,083,141

Highest grossing event for any arena in Australia

Fight Of The Night: Glover Teixeira vs Jamahal Hill

No more questions about the light heavyweight title were needed after Jamahal Hill and Glover Teixeira went to battle for 25 minutes. 

The back-and-forth contest saw Hill impress with his defensive grappling, often thwarting Teixeira’s takedowns attempts and dealing damage out of both stances. Hill had plenty of success with a left high kick that rocked Teixeira on several occasions. “Sweet Dreams” threw a variety of damaging shots and opened cuts around both of the Brazilian’s eyes, but Teixeira brought his best and never seemed truly out of the fight. In the end, Hill earned the light heavyweight title via unanimous decision.

Performance Of The Night Bonuses 

Performance Of The Night: Ismael Bonfim

In an anticipated UFC debut, Ismael Bonfim put the lightweight division on notice with a stunning knockout victory over Terrance McKinney. After a clinical but tightly contested first round, Bonfim turned it up in the second round. Showing technical prowess on the feet, Bonfim consistently seemed a step ahead, and after landing a punch to stun McKinney, Bonfim elevated for a beautiful flying knee that sent McKinney crashing to the canvas unconscious. 

Performance Of The Night: Jailton Almeida

Perhaps the heavyweight prospect to watch in 2023, Jailton Almeida passed his toughest test yet with flying colors as he secured a TKO win over Shamil Abdurakhimov. At his suffocating and mauling best, Jailton Almeida controlled the majority of the contest and displayed beautifully patient ground-and-pound. In the second frame, he kept Abdurakhimov on his back, punishing him with strikes to earn another win.

UFC 283: Teixeira vs Hill Attendance, Records and Gate

Attendance: 13,604

Performance Of The Night Bonuses 

Performance Of The Night: Dan Ige

Coming off three consecutive losses, Dan Ige got back into the winner’s circle in a big way with a 2nd-round knockout win over Damon Jackson in the co-main event. Ige came out faster than usual, pressing the action and landing a variety of punches up top and to the body before scoring a takedown at the end of the first frame. The second round, he continued his powerfully methodical work, and when Jackson lept into range late into the second round, Ige found a home for a huge left hand and walked off without following up at all.  

Performance Of The Night: Roman Kopylov

Roman Kopylov picked up his second consecutive knockout in the Octagon with a technically adept TKO win over Punahele Soriano in the second round. After a steady start in the first round, Kopylov started working Soriano’s body, highlighted by a spinning back kick to the Hawaiian’s body. Another body shot buckled Soriano, and Kopylov swarmed to get the stoppage.

Performance Of The Night: Umar Nurmagomedov

In perhaps his best performance yet, Umar Nurmagomedov scored his first career knockout win with a beautiful left hook against Raoni Barcelos. Nurmagomedov started out methodically, and his striking looked sharp from the southpaw stance. As the two came together, Nurmagomedov came up short on a left kick but followed quickly with a left hook that put Barcelos out cold. Nurmagomedov followed up with one more shot, but it wasn’t necessary at that point. Nurmagomedov now hopes to turn his attention to a top-15 opponent. 

Performance Of The Night: Allan Nascimento

Brazil’s Allan Nascimento looked sharp against Carlos Hernandez. After a steady start, Nascimento found his way to Hernandez’s back and threatened the choke. When Hernandez stood up with Nascimento still hanging onto his back and looking for a rear naked choke, Nascimento deftly switched his grip and got the submission win midway through the first round.