The Ultimate Fighting Championship closed out the biggest week in its history on Saturday night with its most stacked card ever. While UFC brass handed out $100,000 in honor of UFC 100 in July of 2009, they did not follow suit for UFC 200. The bonuses remained at the standard $50,000 per winner.
There was no Fight of the Night award. The promotion instead handed out four Performance of the Night bonuses to four fighters who finished their bouts in spectacular fashion.
Amanda Nunes rocked Miesha Tate in the night’s main event, apparently breaking her nose, and obviously bloodying her face. After beating her up on the feet, however, Nunes finished the fight with a rear-naked choke that forced the tap. Not only did the move earn a $50,000 bonus, it also earned Nunes the women’s bantamweight championship.
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Former heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez returned to the Octagon on Saturday night after more than a year away. Having lost the belt in his last fight, Velasquez took a huge step back into title contention by finishing Travis Browne in the first round. The victory also netted him one of the Performance of the Night awards.
The other two bonuses went to UFC Fight Pass prelim winners Joe Lauzon and Gegard Mousasi.
Lauzon did something that no other fighter has ever done. He finished Diego Sanchez with strikes. That is no small feat considering Sanchez has 35 professional bouts to his credit. Mousasi scored a one-punch, walk-off knockout of Thiago Santos in the second fight on the card.
Lauzon and Mousasi each earned a $50,000 bonus for their efforts.
