UFC 146 Bonuses: Roy Nelson, Stefan Struve, Dan Hardy, Paul Sass Pocket $70,000 Apiece

Nelson and Hardy left MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas with “Knockout of the Night” honors, while Sass and Struve were co-winners of “Submission of the Night.” The promotion did not hand out a “Fight of the Night” bonus.

Nelson made a major statement in his bout with Dave Herman, using his patented overhand right to dispatch the 27-year-old in just 51 seconds. Though “Big Country” attempted to follow up, referee Steve Mazzagatti quickly called a halt to the contest to save Herman from unnecessary punishment. The victory marks the ninth career knockout for Nelson, who has won two of his last three bouts.

Hardy (Pictured, file photo) snapped a four-fight skid in impressive fashion against Duane Ludwig, buckling his opponent with a sharp lead left hook that sent “Bang” reeling to the mat. Half-conscious, Ludwig tried gamely to hold on, but “The Outlaw” showed no mercy in finding the finish, pounding on his foe until referee Josh Rosenthal waved the bout off at 3:51 of the opening frame.

Sass used a variation on his signature maneuver to submit Jacob Volkmann in just 1:54, trapping the Minnesotan in a triangle choke after pulling half-guard in the early going. Though Volkmann struggled to escape the hold, the Brit found his opponent’s exposed arm and cranked on the elbow joint, forcing the wrestler to quickly tap out to the triangle-armbar combo.

Struve approached his confrontation with Lavar Johnson intelligently, tying up the hard-hitting Californian and jumping guard after Johnson bulled him against the cage. From there, the Dutchman displayed his superiority on the mat, shifting his hips and trapping Johnson in a fight-ending armbar.