5 contenders for the Fight of the Night award at UFC 269
This weekend sees the final UFC pay-per-view of 2021, as UFC 269 goes down from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
UFC 269 is a genuinely stacked card, with two title fights and a host of exciting undercard bouts from the main card to the prelims. However, which clash is likely to claim the Fight of the Night award?
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Looking at the card on paper, there are a number of potential contenders for the award. While it’s impossible to predict how good UFC fights might turn out to be, some of the bouts on offer sound like guaranteed barnburners.
On that note, here are five potential contenders for the Fight of the Night award at UFC 269.
#5. UFC welterweight bout: Geoff Neal vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio
UFC 269’s main card features a major clash of strikers in the welterweight division, as Geoff Neal faces Santiago Ponzinibbio. Based on the previous fights the duo has been involved in, this one could guarantee fireworks.
Both men are strikers by trade, but they utilize very different methods in the octagon. That means we could be in for a pretty crazy clash of styles when the two will lock horns.
Neal is all about power. ‘Handz of Steel’ can turn the lights out on any opponent at any time, with both his punches and kicks. His finishes of Mike Perry, Niko Price and Frank Camacho were as explosive as any we’ve seen in the UFC in recent years.
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Ponzinibbio, meanwhile, also carries knockout power. While he can stop an opponent in one shot, he isn’t as explosive as Neal. Instead, the Argentine loves to pressure his foes with his cardio and boxing, pushing them onto their back foot, where he looks to force them into errors.
What makes this fight fascinating is that we’ve seen Neal picked apart recently – by Stephen Thompson. Meanwhile, Ponzinibbio was knocked out earlier this year by Li Jingliang.
That means both men are at risk come UFC 269. So when the two welterweights clash, fireworks are likely to ensue.