The Ultimate Fighting Championship made its return to Canadian soil for this evening’s UFC Vancouver spectacle, with monetary accolades being awarded to four competitors.
The main event featured a significant middleweight clash between Reinier de Ridder and Brendan Allen. The confrontation served as a showcase for Allen, who was considered the underdog. After a challenging opening round where De Ridder dominated with smothering tactics and submission attempts, Allen mounted a comeback in the second round. The American gained control after a sweep, unleashing a barrage of ground strikes on ‘RDR’. This pattern continued through the third and fourth rounds, leaving de Ridder visibly weakened after the twenty-minute mark. Recognizing their fighter’s condition, ‘RDR’s corner decided to concede, preventing further damage.
The co-main event of UFC Vancouver was a highly anticipated welterweight battle between Kevin Holland and local favorite Mike Malott. The encounter did not live up to expectations for an action-packed fight. After securing a knockdown earlier in the first round, Holland endured multiple low blows that seemed to sway the momentum. Despite considering withdrawing for the second round, Holland chose to continue, only to be outmaneuvered by Mike Malott in the second and third rounds. While a significant win for Malott, the victory is likely to be viewed as controversial due to the unpenalized fouls.
Following the conclusion of tonight’s event, UFC officials announced at the post-fight press conference that four fighters would be taking home performance bonuses.
Fight of the night: Lightweight competitors Drew Dober and Kyle Prepolec each secured $50,000 for their captivating battle in tonight’s UFC Vancouver preliminary card. Dober ultimately secured victory via technical knockout, following an initial incident where he hurt the Canadian with an illegal blow.
Performance of the night: Charles Jourdain received an additional $50,000 for his first-round submission victory over Davey Grant. ‘Air’ initiated the finishing sequence with a flying knee, leading into the fight-ending guillotine choke (see that here).
Performance of the night: Aori Qileng earned an extra $50,000 for his rapid 21-second stoppage win over Cody Gibson (see that here).
Does the allocation of performance bonuses by Dana White and the UFC organization following tonight’s UFC Vancouver event surprise you? Express your viewpoints in the PENN Nation comment area!
