5 contenders for the Fight of the Night award at UFC 273

Can the Korean Zombie claim his seventh post-fight performance bonus award this weekend?

This weekend sees UFC 273 take place in Jacksonville, Florida. The event is a loaded one, featuring a number of the promotion’s top stars.

With a total of 13 fights on tap for UFC 273 and some involving some of the promotion’s most exciting talents, there should be a number of contenders for the Fight of the Night award.

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So which fighters will find themselves $50k richer come the end of the show this weekend? To be honest, with a card this good, it’s anyone’s guess.

With that in mind, here are five contenders for the Fight of the Night award at UFC 273.

#5. UFC welterweight bout: Khamzat Chimaev vs. Gilbert Burns

Will Khamzat Chimaev's fight with Gilbert Burns produce something special this weekend?

While much of the spotlight coming into UFC 273 has centered around the welterweight clash between hot prospect Khamzat Chimaev and former title challenger Gilbert Burns, it’s safe to say that the bout is probably an underdog bet for the Fight of the Night award.

That’s because, according to the betting lines, at least, Chimaev is a huge favorite to smash his way through ‘Durinho’ in the same dominating fashion that he did to his last four opponents in the octagon, including the highly-rated Li Jingliang.

However, it’s safe to say that Burns will be the toughest test that ‘Borz’ has faced thus far into his octagon career by a country mile. Not only has the Brazilian fought for the welterweight title, he’s also got far more experience than Chimaev and has overcome the likes of Tyron Woodley and Stephen Thompson.

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So if Burns can actually push Chimaev and become the first man to ever force the Chechnyan onto his back foot, the fight could well be less of a squash and much more of a war than anyone could possibly imagine.

If that’s the case, then given the crowd focus that’s bound to be on this one due to the star status of Chimaev, then we could be in for something genuinely special, meaning that the bout could well secure the Fight of the Night award.