Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Hamburg’s UFC Debut
3. Quick Stats
4. Main Event: Barnett Submits Arlovski — And Earns $100k
5. Bader’s Flying Knee, Gustafsson’s Return & The Card
6. Full Results
7. Bonuses & Awards
8. Records & Milestones
9. Legacy & Impact
10. FAQ
Introduction
UFC Fight Night 93: Arlovski vs. Barnett took place on Saturday, September 3, 2016 at Barclaycard Arena in Hamburg, Germany — broadcast exclusively on UFC Fight Pass. The card drew 11,763 fans for a gate of $913,428. It was the first UFC event in Hamburg and the fifth UFC event in Germany overall. The main event was a heavyweight clash between former UFC heavyweight champions Andrei Arlovski and Josh Barnett.
Barnett submitted Arlovski with a rear-naked choke at 2:53 of round three in a fight that earned Fight of the Night for both men — and then earned Barnett a separate Performance of the Night bonus, making him the only fighter on the card to receive $100,000 in combined bonuses. Ryan Bader’s second-round flying knee KO of Ilir Latifi — after Latifi had dropped Bader in round one — earned the other Performance of the Night. Alexander Gustafsson defeated Jan Błachowicz by unanimous decision in the co-main to snap a two-fight losing streak. Peter Sobotta dominated Nicolas Dalby 30-26x3, ending Dalby’s unbeaten record.
Hamburg’s UFC Debut
Hamburg — Germany’s second-largest city with approximately 1.8 million residents — is one of Northern Europe’s premier entertainment and port cities. Barclaycard Arena, completed in 2002 with 16,000-person capacity, is Hamburg’s primary indoor event venue and home to the Hamburg Freezers ice hockey team. The UFC’s five German events before Fight Night 93 had been held in Cologne, Oberhausen, and Berlin; the Hamburg debut expanded the organisation’s German footprint to the country’s most commercially active northern market.
The card’s Fight Pass exclusivity meant it aired as a Saturday morning event for US viewers — a pattern common for European Fight Pass cards where the 6-7 hour time zone difference placed the main card in early morning US Eastern time. Announced by John Gooden and Dan Hardy — both European-based announcers — the broadcast had a strong British/European commentary character. The 11,763 attendance — approximately 74% of Barclaycard Arena’s capacity — was a solid debut for the Hamburg market.
Quick Stats
📅 Date: Saturday, September 3, 2016 (Saturday morning for US viewers)
📍 Venue: Barclaycard Arena, Hamburg, Germany (FIRST UFC event in Hamburg; 5th UFC event in Germany)
👥 Attendance: 11,763
💰 Gate: $913,428
📺 Broadcast: UFC Fight Pass EXCLUSIVE (John Gooden & Dan Hardy announcing)
🏆 Main Event: Josh Barnett vs. Andrei Arlovski — Heavyweight (both former UFC HW champions; Arlovski 3rd consecutive UFC loss)
✅ Result: Barnett def. Arlovski via Sub (RNC) — R3, 2:53 (FotN $50k each + PoN $50k for Barnett = $100k total; both rocked each other in wild R1)
Main Event: Barnett Submits Arlovski — And Earns $100k
The fight’s opening round was immediately memorable. Arlovski landed right hands that visibly rocked Barnett; Barnett responded with punches that staggered Arlovski. Both men took turns performing the wobble-squat of a hurt heavyweight before recovering and engaging again. The frantic pace made the round a legitimate candidate for the most action-packed heavyweight opening round of 2016. Neither man went down; both survived to hear the bell.
Rounds two and three were progressively dominated by Barnett’s grappling. He controlled Arlovski against the cage, secured takedowns, and mounted. His wrestling and dirty boxing neutralised Arlovski’s striking advantage. In round three, Barnett secured the mount and transitioned to the back, applied the rear-naked choke, and Arlovski tapped at 2:53. Post-fight, the UFC announced Barnett had earned both Fight of the Night — the wild bilateral exchange with Arlovski — and Performance of the Night for the submission finish. The combined $100,000 made him the card’s sole double bonus earner.
Bader’s Flying Knee, Gustafsson’s Return & The Card
Ryan Bader’s flying knee KO of Ilir Latifi was the card’s most spectacular individual moment outside the main event. Latifi had dropped Bader with a significant punch in round one — a moment that had suggested the fight was headed toward an upset. Bader recovered, and in round two launched a flying knee that connected squarely with Latifi’s jaw. The knockout was clean and the technique precision was noted in post-event coverage. Bader’s ability to recover from a round-one knockdown and produce a finishing knee in round two was cited as evidence of his championship-level competitive durability. Alexander Gustafsson’s unanimous decision over Jan Błachowicz was a five-round return to form for the Swedish LHW: he had lost to Jon Jones at UFC 165 and Daniel Cormier at UFC 192, two consecutive losses against the division’s best. The Hamburg win over Błachowicz — scored 30-27x3 — was a return to the top-five LHW contendership track.
Peter Sobotta’s 30-26x3 dominant unanimous decision over Nicolas Dalby was the card’s biggest upset result. Dalby had been unbeaten entering the fight — his only blemish the majority draw with Darren Till at UFC Fight Night 76 in Dublin. Sobotta’s performance was so comprehensive that all three judges gave him every round. Tae Hyun Bang, who had been sentenced to 10 months in prison for his role in the Seoul fight-fixing scheme at UFC Fight Night 79, fought and lost to Nick Hein in a fight that closed a chapter on one of MMA’s most unsavoury recent stories.
Full Results
Main Card (UFC Fight Pass)
Josh Barnett def. Andrei Arlovski — Submission (RNC) — R3, 2:53 — Heavyweight (FotN $50k each + PoN $50k for Barnett = $100k total; wild R1; Barnett grappling dominance R2-R3; Arlovski 3rd straight stoppage loss)
Alexander Gustafsson def. Jan Błachowicz — Unanimous Decision (30-27x3) — Light Heavyweight (Gustafsson snaps 2-fight losing streak; returns to LHW contendership)
Ryan Bader def. Ilir Latifi — KO (flying knee) — R2, 2:06 — Light Heavyweight (PoN $50k; Latifi dropped Bader in R1; Bader recovered and landed the knee in R2)
Nick Hein def. Tae Hyun Bang — Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-28, 30-27) — Lightweight (Bang = the Seoul fight-fixer sentenced to 10 months in prison; Hein wins)
Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass)
Jessin Ayari def. Jim Wallhead — Split Decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27) — Welterweight
Peter Sobotta def. Nicolas Dalby — Unanimous Decision (30-26x3) — Welterweight (DALBY’S UNBEATEN RUN ENDED; Sobotta won every round on every judge’s card)
Ashlee Evans-Smith def. Veronica Hardy — Women’s Bantamweight
Taylor Lapilus def. Leandro Issa — Bantamweight
Jarjis Danho vs. Christian Colombo — DRAW — Heavyweight
Jack Hermansson def. Scott Askham — Middleweight (Hermansson early career; future top-5 MW)
Rustam Khabilov def. Leandro Silva — Lightweight
Bonuses & Awards
🥇 Fight of the Night: Josh Barnett + Andrei Arlovski — $50,000 each
🥇 Performance of the Night: Josh Barnett + Ryan Bader — $50,000 each (Barnett earned $100,000 total; the only double-bonus earner on the card)
Records & Milestones
• Josh Barnett earned $100,000 in combined bonuses (FotN + PoN) — the maximum double-bonus outcome in a single UFC event.
• First UFC event in Hamburg, Germany — Barclaycard Arena; the UFC’s 5th German event.
• Nicolas Dalby’s unbeaten professional record ended with the Sobotta loss; every judge scored 30-26 for Sobotta.
Legacy & Impact
Gustafsson’s Hamburg win over Błachowicz positioned him for further LHW title contendership: he subsequently fought Anthony Johnson (losing by TKO in one round at UFC Fight Night 101) and then had a long injury layoff before his return. Ryan Bader’s Hamburg PoN flying knee was part of a career that produced the UFC LHW championship at UFC 210 in April 2017, when he beat Anthony Johnson by unanimous decision. Błachowicz’s Hamburg loss was a career setback before his eventual return to LHW form, including a UFC LHW title win over Dominick Reyes at UFC 253 in 2020.
Jack Hermansson’s preliminary win in Hamburg was one of the early steps of a middleweight career that made him a top-five UFC MW by 2019, with wins over Jacare Souza, David Branch, and Ronaldo Souza. His Hamburg appearance was his third UFC fight. Barnett’s $100k Hamburg bonuses were the financial peak of his UFC career; his subsequent UFC appearances were limited before eventual contract expiration.
FAQ
How did Barnett earn both Fight of the Night and Performance of the Night?
The UFC’s bonus structure allows a single fighter to receive both Fight of the Night and Performance of the Night bonuses — though this is uncommon because typically the fight quality and the finishing quality are attributed to different fights. In Hamburg, the Barnett/Arlovski fight’s wild first round earned it Fight of the Night, with both fighters receiving $50,000. Barnett’s submission finish in round three earned him a separate Performance of the Night bonus. The combination of being in the FotN fight and producing the PoN finish within the same bout generated the $100,000 total.
Why was the fight so wild in round one?
Both Arlovski and Barnett are heavyweight fighters with genuine knockout power and the willingness to exchange at close range. Arlovski’s jab-right hand combination had produced multiple UFC KOs; Barnett’s dirty boxing and clinch striking had similar finishing credentials. When both men chose to exchange on the feet in round one rather than implementing defensive strategies, the result was a series of clean shots absorbed by both fighters. At heavyweight, clean significant strikes can produce knockdowns or stoppage; both men’s chins were tested and passed in round one, setting up Barnett’s more patient approach in rounds two and three.
Why was Latifi considered dangerous for Bader before the fight?
Latifi had won three consecutive UFC fights entering the Hamburg bout, including impressive performances that had established him as a legitimate top-ten LHW threat. His striking power and forward pressure were genuine assets, and his knockdown of Bader in round one confirmed the pre-fight assessment that he presented real danger. Bader’s ability to absorb the knockdown, recover between rounds, and produce the flying knee finish was one of Hamburg’s more narratively compelling competitive sequences: the fight appeared to be going badly for him after round one.
What happened to Nicolas Dalby after the Sobotta loss?
Dalby’s 30-26x3 loss to Sobotta ended a professional record that had been unbeaten in 14 fights before the Darren Till draw. The comprehensive nature of the loss — not a single round won on any of three judges’ cards — raised questions about his UFC welterweight ceiling. He fought twice more in the UFC without restoring his contendership, then returned to Danish and regional circuits. His career is retrospectively significant as the context for the Darren Till draw at UFC Fight Night 76: Till went on to become a significant UFC WW; Dalby remained a credible but limited contender.
Who was Jack Hermansson at the time of his Hamburg fight?
Hermansson was a 28-year-old Swedish middleweight in only his third UFC fight. He had fought in regional European promotions for eight years before his UFC signing. His Hamburg win over Scott Askham demonstrated striking accuracy and the patience to work behind a jab. His subsequent career produced wins over Jacare Souza, David Branch, Gerald Meerschaert, and Ronaldo Souza, elevating him to UFC MW top-five ranking by 2019-2020. A subsequent loss to Marvin Vettori in 2021 and further fights maintained his position as a relevant top-fifteen European MW.
What happened to Tae Hyun Bang’s prison sentence?
Bang’s fight against Nick Hein in Hamburg followed his indictment in South Korea for his role in the Seoul fight-fixing scheme. He had competed at UFC Fight Night 79 in Seoul in November 2015 and accepted $92,160 to throw his fight against Leo Kuntz before changing his mind. In November 2017, the Seoul Central District Court sentenced him to 10 months in prison. His Hamburg loss to Hein was his final UFC fight; he was not re-signed following his criminal proceedings. The three brokers who arranged the scheme also received sentences.