Dan
Hooker and Mateusz
Gamrot went back-and-forth for three rounds at UFC
305.
While it was Hooker who emerged with a split-decision triumph, both
lightweights went home with an additional $50,000 after the bout
received “Fight of the Night” honors. Hooker blended effective
striking with relatively stout takedown defense to earn the nod
from two of the three cageside judges at RAC Arena in Perth,
Australia, on Saturday night.
Elsewhere, Kai
Kara-France garnered a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check
for a statement-making victory against Steve Erceg
in the flyweight co-main event. “Don’t Blink” initially floored his
foe with a left hook before pressuring Erceg against the cage,
where he dropped “Astro Boy” again — this time with a right cross.
Follow-up punches brought an end to the contest at the 4:04 mark of
the opening stanza as Kara-France ended a two-bout skid.
Finally, Carlos
Prates received the card’s other $50,000 “Performance of the
Night” award thanks to his third consecutive knockout under the UFC
banner. The Brazilian put veteran foe Jingliang
Li away with a left hook 4:02 into the second frame, handing
“The Leech” his first knockout defeat in 28 professional outings.