UFC 159 features 12 fights on its card, but many do not jump off the page as potential Fight of the Night contenders for one reason or another.
One key condition to winning the Fight of the Night bonus is that it must be competitive. That eliminates several bouts on the card including the main event. Anything can happen in MMA, but playing the odds would eliminate those fights from contention.
After you single out the competitive fights it comes down to stylistic matchups. While Jim Miller vs. Pat Healy is an anticipated fight for purists, it is not a stylistic matchup that will consistently give you the Fight of the Night. They are two smart fighters who will not brawl for the fans’ pleasure. They both have too much to lose.
The women of the UFC have come through in the first two fights, but aren’t likely to do the same the third time around. Sheila Gaff and Sara McMann are exceptional talents, but Gaff is fighting a weight class above where she normally fights. McMann should control this fight with her wrestling. It won’t be as exciting as the previous two bantamweight scraps.
So, who will step up for the bonus money?
Anytime Leonard Garcia is involved in a fight, he has to be noticed in regards to the post-fight awards. He and Cody McKenzie can provide a brawl that many of the members of the audience will enjoy. But that’s not going to win the cash.
A sleeper pick for Fight of the Night, and the one I think walks away with the bonus money, is Bryan Caraway vs. Johnny Bedford: two young fighters who are hungry to make an impression.
Caraway and Bedford have diverse arsenals, and the bantamweights will be willing to exchange in a barnburner. It will be the first fight on the FX prelims, and it will get the crowd pumped up for the night’s action. It will set the tone.
Caraway has nabbed a bonus before. At UFC 149 he took Fight of the Night honors for a submission win over Mitch Gagnon. Bedford has been exciting to watch in his outings, but Caraway will give him a different look that will make the fight more dynamic and exciting.
Neither of these bantamweights are on the contender’s radar: they both have something to prove. Throwing caution to the wind and getting to business inside the Octagon will increase their stock to fans and other fighters in the division.
When these two enter the cage you will want to have your televisions tuned to FX. They will set the bar for the rest of the night with an exciting, fast-paced bout. It is a tight matchup where either man can win, and they will likely split the first two rounds.
Bedford and Caraway will leave it all out in the cage, and they will be rewarded with a little extra on their paychecks.
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