UFC Fight Night 43 Bonus Report: Villante, O’Connell, Oliveira and Marquardt Take Home Some Extra Money

Fight of The Night: Gian Villante vs. Sean O’Connell– What a way to get things started! In the first fight of the night these two light-heavyweights went to war and didn’t stop until final bell. O’Connell walked forward the whole fight like a terminator. In the second he landed a huge left hook that dropped Villante. Villante was able to recover and in the third round really found his counter striking rhythm. The two stood the whole fight and threw strikes relentlessly. Ultimately it was Villante who picked up the split decision win, but the real winners were the fans.

Performance(s) of The Night: Charles Oliveira– The UFC featherweight decided to grapple with Hatsu Hioki and eventually it paid off. The two jiujitsu black belts battled it out, both going for submissions. Oliveira suffered an eye poke that looked like it might stop the fight, but he was able to persevere and eventually locked in a modified Peruvian choke that forced Hioki to tap.

Performance(s) of The Night: Nate Marquardt– Nate “The Great” came out blazing. He landed a right hand early and attempted a few head kicks before James Te Huna could him against the cage. Marquardt landed a huge knee that rocked Te Huna. When the fight went to the ground Marquardt ended up on top and eventually locked in an armbar, ending the fight in the first round.

All four fighters took home an extra $50K for their performances.

By Ryan Miller | Twitter