Following last night’s UFC 317 event the recipients of the evening’s $50,000 bonus awards were announced.
Earning ‘Fight Of The Night’ honors was never in doubt after Joshua Van and Brandon Royval put on a striking battle for the ages on the main card.
The fight started at a fast pace with hard-hitting strikes on both sides and somehow only managed to increase in intensity as the rounds went on. Royval was continually looking to push forward and make the most of his height and reach advantage to unleash his diverse, high-volume arsenal of strikes. However, Van was more than willing to meet fire with fire, and his fast, clinical and compact boxing and ability to land on the counter caught the eye throughout the contest.
Both men showed strong chins when under fire, even as the damage started to add up, and in the third round the crowd was so enthralled by the unrelenting war unfolding before them that the roars of approval in the arena reached deafening levels in the closing stages of the fight. And right on cue Van then floored Royval with a big punch that came close to ending the fight, and helped ensure he would emerge as the winner via unanimous decision (29-28 x2, 30-27).
Both fighters stock rises after a clear contender for ‘Fight Of The Year’, and as a measure of just how good the fight was, the No.11 ranked Van is now officially the next title contender at 125lbs, while even in defeat Dana White has opted to award Royval his win bonus for his efforts on the night.
Meanwhile, Ilia Topuria was handed a ‘Performance Of The Night’ bonus after he took another step towards superstardom by knocking out Charles Oliveira in the first round to become the UFC’s new lightweight champion.
Both fighters were willing to trade strikes early in the round, and though Oliveira had the size advantage and looked confident as he pressed forward, he was soon sporting a cut to his eye. Oliveira then attempted to initiate a takedown, but Topuria ended up on top. Oliveira countered with a leg lock, but Topuria escaped and the fight was soon back on the feet. Oliveira continued to try to press the action, but suddenly Topuria unleashed a right hand that landed flush and instantly buckled Oliveira, with a powerful left hook also connecting clean on the way to the canvas, sealing a stunning knockout finish just 2.27mins into the fight.
That’s now the third UFC legend that the undefeated Topuria has KO’d in a row after Max Holloway and Alexander Volkanovski, and with the lightweight title now around his waist he also joins an exclusive club of fighters who have become two-division champions.
Also earning a performance bonus was Gregory Rodrigues, who brutally knocked Jack Hermansson out cold with a thunderous left hook late in the first round of their fight, then dropped down to a completely unnecessary hammer-fist afterwards. Hermansson remained still on the canvas for several minutes afterwards, but updates later in the broadcast revealed that he’d been medically cleared after being taken to hospital.
