The UFC handed out four post-fight bonuses after Saturday’s card, including one to a surging home city fan favorite.
After UFC 284, four fighters picked up an extra $50,000 for their performances in Perth, Australia. Check out the winners below.
Performance of the Night: Jack Della Maddalena
Jack Della Maddalena def. Randy Brown via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 2:13
Jack Della Maddalena (14-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC) delivered the biggest crowd bump of the night up until that point when he took out Randy Brown (16-5 MMA, 10-5 UFC) with a first-round submission in front of his home fans in Perth. Maddalena put it on Brown in a hurry, and it looked like he might be able to put him away with punches after a flurry along the fence. But when Brown fell to the canvas, Maddalena wasted no time and got a rear-naked choke for yet another first-round finish. He lost his first two pro fights and hasn’t lost since.
Performance of the Night: Yair Rodriguez
Yair Rodriguez def. Josh Emmett via submission (triangle choke) – Round 2, 4:19
Yair Rodriguez (15-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) won the UFC’s interim featherweight title with a mostly flawless performance against Josh Emmett (18-3 MMA, 9-3 UFC). Emmett never had been submitted in his career until he stepped in with Rodriguez. Rodriguez threw a jumping knee in the second round that clipped Emmett. He went to his back from it, but quickly threw up a triangle choke and was able to get Emmett to tap.
Fight of the Night: Islam Makhachev vs. Alexander Volkanovski
Islam Makhachev def. Alexander Volkanovski via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46)
Islam Makhachev (24-1 MMA, 13-1 UFC) got the biggest test of his career in the form of Alexander Volkanovski (25-2 MMA, 12-1 UFC), but when things settled after 25 minutes, Makhachev laid claim to the title of world’s best pound-for-pound fighter. On most lists, Volkanovski, the UFC’s featherweight champion, was No. 1 followed by Makhachev, the lightweight champ. But in the UFC 284 main event, Makhachev outworked Volkanovski in front of Volkanovski’s home fans in Australia and took a unanimous decision to retain the 145-pound title. Volkanovski, like teammate Israel Adesanya before him a while back, made an attempt to move up a division for a second title. But despite some success, Volkanovski found himself on the wrong end of a unanimous decision.
