The Ultimate Fighting Championship returned to Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, Saturday with a pivotal heavyweight matchup between Curtis Blaydes and Chris Daukaus, but the big boys weren’t the only fighters who nabbed the attention of the combat sports world.
Four fighters on the UFC on ESPN 33 marquee pocketed quite a bit of bonus cash for their efforts, with Matt Brown and Bryan Barberena nabbing the Fight of the Night bonus and the aforementioned Blades and Chris Gutierrez taking home an extra $50K apiece for their Performance of the Night accolades.
Brown, a 41-year-old hometown fan favorite, waged a memorable three-round war with Barberena, driving the capacity crowd into a frenzy. While Brown scored critical takedowns in rounds two and three, it was Barberena’s powerful elbows and fists that buckled the Ohioan’s knees a few too many times when it mattered most. And while both men were on the verge of being stopped multiple times, Brown was battered far worse and it was Barberena who prevailed via split decision. Both men took home $50K.
Blaydes kept his heavyweight hopes alive by throttling Daukaus in the second. A crushing right hook to the face dropped Daukaus moments into the frame and “Razor” pummeled him on the ground until referee Herb Dean intervened, ending the mugging at the 0:17 mark of the second.
Finally, Gutierrez flattened Mongolia’s Batgerel Danaa at 2:34 of the second, courtesy of a perfectly-timed spinning backfist and follow-up elbows. Danaa had been doing well against Gutierrez, but “El Guapo” set the trap for the attack and crushed him, igniting the crowd.
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