The flyweight division shined at UFC Vegas 98, with Brandon Royval and Tatsuro Taira earning Fight of the Night honors for their thrilling bout, while Ramazan Temirov and Clayton Carpenter received Performance of the Night bonuses for their impressive victories.
Don’t mess with the flyweights. Seriously.
The UFC’s lightest men’s division stole the show at UFC Vegas 98 on Saturday. Headliners Brandon Royval and Tatsuro Taira, along with prelim fighters Ramazan Temirov and Clayton Carpenter, each snagged an extra $50,000. Why? For some jaw-dropping action inside the octagon.
Royval and Taira deservedly grabbed the Fight of the Night award after a five-round spectacle. It left fans and fellow fighters in awe. Royval edged out a victory via split decision—super close call—but both are in the running for Fight of the Year when 2024 wraps up. No doubt about it.
Performance of the Night bonuses? Those went to Temirov and Carpenter.
Temirov shone brightly in his UFC debut, needing less than three minutes to showcase his precision striking against CJ Vergara. Bam! His 10th straight win puts him right in the mix of the flyweight division contenders.
And Carpenter? He kept his streak alive, boosting his pro record to 8-0 after a two-round beatdown of Lucas Rocha. The 28-year-old neutralized Rocha’s attacks with powerful wrestling before sealing the deal with a rear-naked choke. This was Carpenter’s first Performance of the Night bonus. Not too shabby!