The UFC handed out extra bonuses after Saturday’s card, including for one of the most vicious elbows you’ll see.
After UFC 303, six fighters picked up an extra $50,000 for their performances in Las Vegas. Check out the winners below.
Fight of the Night: Andre Fili def. Cub Swanson
Andre Fili def. Cub Swanson via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Their featherweight bout was the kind that was Fight of the Night on paper heading in, and it lived up to the billing when a pair of longtime UFC standouts slugged it out on the prelims. When it was done, Andre Fili (24-11 MMA, 12-10 UFC) took a unanimous decision from Cub Swanson (29-14 MMA, 14-10 UFC). The bonus was the 14th of Swanson’s career, combined with the WEC (4) and UFC (10).
Performance of the Night: Payton Talbott
Payton Talbott def. Yanis Ghemmouri via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 0:19
Payton Talbott (9-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) picked up the second fastest finish in UFC bantamweight history when he needed just 19 seconds to put out the lights of Yanis Ghemmouri (12-3 MMA, 0-2 UFC). He h as finishes in all three of his UFC fights and back-to-back bonuses.
Performance of the Night: Joe Pyfer
Joe Pyfer def. Marc-Andre Barriault via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 1:25
Joe Pyfer (13-3 MMA, 4-1 UFC) came out quickly against Marc-Andre Barriault (16-8 MMA, 5-7 UFC) and had the Canadian on the defensive early. It took him less than 90 seconds to become the first one to knock out Barriault, and in the process picked up his third bonus.
Performance of the Night: Macy Chiasson
Macy Chiasson def. Mayra Bueno Silva via TKO (doctor’s stoppage, cut) – Round 2, 1:58
Macy Chiasson (11-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) needed to worry about the ground game of Mayra Bueno Silva (10-4-1 MMA, 5-4-1 UFC), but after she landed a brutal slicing elbow in the second, the referee stopped the fight to have Bueno Silva’s cut looked at. And after looking at one of the deepest forehead cuts you’ll ever see, the fight was stopped for Chiasson’s second straight win. She now has back-to-back bonus-winning stoppages after going nearly five years without a finish.
Performance of the Night: Alex Pereira
Alex Pereira def. Jiri Prochazka via knockout (head kick, punches) – Round 2, 0:13
Alex Pereira (11-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) continued to show he may already be one of the best fighters in MMA history. He dropped former light heavyweight champ Jiri Prochazka (30-5-1 MMA, 4-2 UFC) with a single punch at the end of Round 1. Then just 13 seconds into Round 2, he put him away with an absolute vicious head kick and follow-up punches that had Prochazka a wobbly mess. Pereira now is interested in going up to heavyweight to try for a belt there so he can become the first in UFC history to hold titles in three weight classes. Along with his current 205-pound belt, he’s a former middleweight champ.
