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.
