Not surprisingly, one of the best fights in recent memory — on a night with several strong outings — earned Fight of the Night at UFC San Diego.
It very may well win Fight of the Year when all is said and done.
The fight in question, the co-main event featherweight scrap between Nate Landwehr and Dominick Cruz, went the distance, though not for lack of effort. From the opening bell, Landwehr, known as “The Train,” brought constant pressure, hurting Onama repeatedly. At times, he came close to putting Onama away, only for Onama to not only survive, but thrive in the third and final round, hurting Landwehr several times himself.
Watching the fight unfold was akin to watching a movie, with numerous shifts in momentum, and both fighters playing up the crowd. In the end, two judges scored the fight for Landwehr, while a third deemed it a draw, resulting in a majority decision win for the former M-1 champion.
On any other night, the UFC San Diego main event between Marlon “Chito” Vera and ex-bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz might have claimed Fight of the Night honors. Instead, Vera’s fourth-round head kick KO of Dominick Cruz had to settle with a Performance of the Night bonus.
The other Performance of the Night award at UFC San Diego went to Tyson Nam, who put together a pair of right hands to put away Ode Osbourne in the opening round of their flyweight fight.
