UFC on FOX 23 bonuses: Valentina Shevchenko, Jorge Masvidal among $50,000 extra winners

DENVER – All four main-card winners picked up $50,000 extra checks for their performances at UFC on FOX 23 on Saturday night.

Valentina Shevchenko, Jorge Masvidal, Francis Ngannou and Jason Knight all got “Performance of the Night” bonuses. There was no “Fight of the Night” awarded.

UFC officials announced the winners following UFC on FOX 23, which MMAjunkie attended.

Shevchenko (14-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) picked up her first submission in nearly 11 years when she tapped Julianna Pena (8-3 MMA, 4-1 UFC) with an armbar in their women’s bantamweight main event. With the win, Shevchenko earned a title shot against champion Amanda Nunes – which will be a rematch from a UFC 196 fight that Nunes won before she became champion.

Masvidal (32-11 MMA, 9-4 UFC) stopped Donald Cerrone (32-8 MMA, 19-5 UFC) with a second-round TKO, snapping Cerrone’s perfect 4-0 run since moving from lightweight to welterweight. The fight nearly was stopped in the first round, but Cerrone was saved by the bell. But it took Masvidal just a minute in the second to get the finish.

Ngannou (10-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) picked up the biggest win of his career when he knocked out former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski (25-14 MMA, 14-8 UFC) just 92 seconds into their fight. Ngannou moved to a perfect 5-0 in the UFC with all his wins by stoppage – including the most recent three in the first round.

And Knight (16-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) submitted Alex Caceres (12-10 MMA, 7-8 UFC) with a second-round rear-naked choke to open up the main card. It was the biggest win of his pro career and gave him three straight.

UFC on FOX 23 took place at Denver’s Pepsi Center. It aired on FS1 following early prelims on UFC Fight Pass.

For more on UFC on FOX 23, check out the UFC Events section of the site.