The UFC has decided to absolutely stack its final three pay-per-views of the year. This is especially the case for UFC 166 in Houston.
When it comes to fight night bonuses, most cards have obvious contenders to take home the extra money. However, with UFC 166, it may not be so easy due to the close matchups, potential for excitement and possible finishing rate.
Here are the predictions for each post-fight bonus.
Submission of the Night: Andre Fili
I don’t see a lot of opportunity for submissions on this card, so this may be the toughest one to call. However, a man debuting by the name of Andre Fili has all the skills to turn in a tapout (or knockout) in his fight against Dustin Pague.
Though Pague has shown to be tough on the ground, it has been against guys who are strikers. While Fili can bang on the feet, he also has a tricky ground game with good submissions and solid wrestling.
At some point, Fili may jump on Pague and find his neck. He will slap on a choke, call it a night and possibly get a little extra dough in his pocket for his efforts.
Also in the running: Gabriel Gonzaga, TJ Waldburger
Knockout of the Night: Shawn Jordan
There are a lot of heavy hitters on UFC 166. In many cases, those heavy hitters are taking on guys with iron jaws, which could prevent them from scoring a knockout in their fight.
For Shawn Jordan, scoring a KO is a definite possibility. The incredible athlete is explosive and heavy handed, allowing him to break through chins that are not properly tucked away.
Jordan takes on Gabriel Gonzaga, a man who is rugged, but has been put away with strikes before. When fresh and on the feet, Jordan can knock out most men in the heavyweight division, and has a great chance at earning some extra money should he send Gonzaga into a painful nap.
Also in the running: Cain Velasquez-Junior dos Santos winner, Tim Boetsch, Hector Lombard, K.J. Noons
Fight of the Night: Junior dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez
It’s a trilogy. It’s a rubber match. It’s for the heavyweight championship. It is possibly the greatest rivalry in the UFC heavyweight division.
Simply put, it’s Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos for the UFC Heavyweight Championship.
Both men are heavy handed. As we saw in the last fight, dos Santos can take a serious licking and Velasquez has incredible cardio for a man of his size.
All of the outside factors, combined with never-give-up hearts that both men have, make this fight almost a lock for Fight of the Night. Unless we see a repeat of the third match between Andrei Arlovski and Tim Sylvia, this fight will earn both men a sizable bonus check.
Also in the running: Gilbert Melendez-Diego Sanchez, John Dodson-Darrell Montague, Sarah Kaufman-Jessica Eye, Andre Fili-Jeremy Larsen
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