When all is said and done, Khamzhat Chimaev and Gilbert Burns may have locked up “Fight of the Year.”
For now, the two welterweights will have to settle for “Fight of the Night” and $50,000 apiece following their memorable slugfest at UFC 273 on Saturday night at Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. Chimaev, one of the most heavily-hyped talents in recent memory, passed the most significant test of his career to date with a unanimous decision triumph over Burns, a former No. 1 contender at 170 pounds.
Meanwhile, reigning featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski pocketed a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus for a dominant performance against Chan Sung Jung in the evening’s main event.