Don’t mess with the flyweights.
The lightest men’s division in the UFC stole the spotlight at UFC Vegas 98 on Saturday, with headliners Brandon Royval and Tatsuro Taira, and prelim competitors Ramazan Temirov and Clayton Carpenter all earning an extra $50,000 for some incredible work inside the octagon.
Royval and Taira were justly given the Fight of the Night award following a five-round performance that wowed their fellow fighters and fans. It was Royval who emerged victorious via a close split decision, but both men are likely to be mentioned for Fight of the Year when 2024 comes to a close.
Performance of the Night bonuses went to Temirov and Carpenter.
Temirov made the most of his UFC debut, needing less than three minutes to show off his precision striking and finish off CJ Vergara. It was the 10th straight win for Temirov, who immediately positions himself as a player in the flyweight division.
Carpenter also kept a streak going as he improved his pro record to 8-0 with a two-round drubbing of Lucas Rocha. The 28-year-old defused Rocha’s offense with powerful wrestling before finishing him with a rear-naked choke. This is Carpenter’s first Performance of the Night bonus.
