UFC 131 Bonuses: Stout, Weidman, Herman, Einemo Net $70K Each

Stout earned “Knockout of the Night” honors for his highlight-reel stoppage of Yves Edwards, while Weidman was awarded “Submission of the Night” after forcing Jesse Bongfeldt to tap. Herman (Pictured; file photo) and Einemo took “Fight of the Night” for their back-and-forth heavyweight slugfest.

UFC officials announced the bonuses at the event’s post-fight news conference, along with an attendance of 14,685 for a live gate of $2.8 million.

Stout and Edwards exchanged fairly evenly on the feet before the thug-jitsu master took the fight to the floor midway through the first frame. Stout did well to avoid damage from his guard, however, tying Edwards up and eventually escaping to his feet. With both men once again exchanging from a vertical base, Edwards landed what appeared to be a solid right hook. Immediately thereafter, “Hands of Stone” countered with a looping left that clipped Edwards perfectly on the chin, turning his lights out and sending him crashing to the canvas at the 3:52 mark.

Weidman overcame a knee injury early in his bout with Bongfeldt to earn his bonus check, as the decorated wrestler finished his foe with a standing guillotine choke. After giving up a takedown early in the frame, Bongfeldt did well to escape from the Matt Serra pupil’s top control. The Canadian’s success would be short-lived, however, as he soon found himself in Weidman’s clutches, forced to tap out with just six seconds remaining in the first frame.

In his UFC debut, Herman endured considerable punishment before staging a come-from-behind knockout victory over Einemo. Round one belonged to the Norwegian, as the grappling specialist pressed forward with strikes and controlled the cage. Einemo was again the aggressor in the second stanza, rocking “Pee Wee” with punches and appearing close to finishing the fight. The American would not give up, however, and managed to turn the tide with a hard knee followed by a punch that jacked the jaw of Einemo. Herman finished the job at 3:19 of the second frame.