UFC 116 Bonuses: Six, Including Lesnar, Pocket $75K

Brock Lesnar file photo: Sherdog.com

In his first appearance in almost a year, Brock Lesnar left the Octagon with the undisputed heavyweight championship around his waist and hefty lump of money in his bank account.

Lesnar submitted the previously unbeaten Shane Carwin with a second-round arm-triangle choke in the UFC 116 “Lesnar vs. Carwin” main event on Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The victory, his first since an intestinal disorder nearly ended his career in late 2009, earned him a $75,000 “Submission of the Night” bonus.

Carwin had Lesnar on the run in the first round, after his heavy hands put the champion on his back. The 6-foot-3, 265-pound former World Wrestling Entertainment superstar weathered the attack and tired Carwin in the process. At the start of round two, it became clear Carwin had little left in the gas tank.

Meanwhile, Chris Leben and Yoshihiro Akiyama pocketed a $75,000 bonus for “Fight of the Night,” as did “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 1 finalist Stephan Bonnar and Krzysztof Soszynski. Leben finished Akiyama with a third-round triangle choke in the co-headliner. Bonnar put away Soszynski with a second-round knee strike and follow up punches in a featured light heavyweight attraction.

Finally, Carwin’s Grudge Training Center teammate, Gerald Harris, banked a $75,000 bonus for “Knockout of the Night” after he rendered Dave Branch unconscious with a powerful slam in the third round. Harris, 30, has rattled off 10 consecutive victories, nine of them finishes.