5 contenders for the Fight of the Night award at UFC Fight Night: Curtis Blaydes vs. Chris Daukaus

#2. UFC flyweight bout: Askar Askarov vs. Kai Kara-France

Can Kai Kara-France light up the octagon against Askar Askarov this weekend?

It’s arguable that the fight that has the most riding on it this weekend – even above the headline bout – is the flyweight clash between Askar Askarov and Kai Kara-France. Given that Askarov is ranked at No.2 and Kara-France is just four spots below him at No.6, it’s possible the winner could claim the next UFC flyweight title shot.

However, this isn’t just an important fight from a rankings perspective. It’s also likely to be hugely entertaining. It pits a hyperactive grappler against an aggressive striker in what is almost certain to produce a Fight of the Night contender.

Kara-France has essentially not had a bad fight inside the octagon. ‘Don’t Blink’ has won four post-fight bonus awards in his eight-fight career with the promotion, including his last two victories – huge knockouts of Rogerio Bontorin and Cody Garbrandt.

Askarov, meanwhile, has less finishes on his record than the New Zealander – all his UFC bouts have gone the distance – but that doesn’t make him any less exciting. In fact, his draw with Brandon Moreno in 2019 was one of the better fights that year.

More importantly, though, while Askarov may be able to take Kara-France down, ‘Don’t Blink’ will not make things easy for him on the ground. This means that we should be in for some fireworks regardless of which way this fight goes.

With high stakes, this one is a must-see clash. It’s also likely to produce a Fight of the Night contender.

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#1. UFC welterweight bout: Matt Brown vs. Bryan Barberena

Matt Brown is arguably one of the most exciting fighters in UFC history

The bout that is clearly the most likely to produce a Fight of the Night contender this weekend is the welterweight clash between Matt Brown and Bryan Barberena.

Both men are probably past their prime at this stage. Brown, who has already retired once, is 41 years old. While Barberena is nearly a decade younger, he’s also been fighting professionally for well over a decade and has taken plenty of damage.

However, it’s probably fair to argue that over the years they’ve been with the UFC, both ‘The Immortal’ and ‘Bam Bam’ have been amongst the most exciting fighters operating in the promotion.

Interestingly, they fight in very different ways. Brown is aggressive almost to a fault, but can be finished in turn, while Barberena seemingly prefers to soak up punishment before coming back at his opponents. That combination should make for a more crazy fight this weekend.

Essentially, Brown will come in to try to take Barberena’s head off, while ‘Bam Bam’ will clearly attempt to weather the early storm and take ‘The Immortal’ out at some point down the stretch. Regardless of which way it might go, fans should expect some wild action in this bout.