UFC on Fox 7 Bonuses: Josh Thomson, Yoel Romero, Matt Brown, Jordan Mein Earn $50K

Thomson and Palacio shared “Knockout of the Night” honors since no submissions were secured on Saturday night, while Brown and Mein pocketed “Fight of the Night.” UFC on Fox 7 took place at HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., and was headlined by a hard-fought lightweight title confrontation between Benson Henderson and Gilbert Melendez.

Thomson became the first man to stop Nate Diaz on strikes when “The Punk” staggered his fellow Californian with a well-timed head kick in the second round of their main card matchup. Thomson wasted no time in pouncing on his wounded opponent, assaulting Diaz with a vicious flurry of ground-and-pound that forced referee Mike Beltran to halt the contest.

Palacio kicked off the evening’s undercard with a wicked finish of Clifford Starks, first touching the former Arizona State Sun Devil with a sharp hook kick before catching him with a flying knee during a takedown entry. The end came soon after, as Starks was rendered unconscious by Palacio’s grounded punches just 92 seconds into the fight.

Brown once again played the role of spoiler on Saturday night, closing the distance and forcing the favored Jordan Mein to engage in a slugfest. “The Immortal” applied constant pressure through the first round and appeared to hurt the Canadian prospect several times, but Mein responded with a sharp combination to the ribs that put Brown on the mat. The American would again establish his dominance in round two, however, as Brown pinned Mein against the cage and unloaded with series of clubbing knees and elbows that earned the veteran his fifth straight win.