The UFC handed out four bonuses after Saturday’s card in the “Windy City,” and all four went to fighters on the main card.
After UFC 319, four fighters picked up an extra $50,000 for their performances at United Center in Chicago. Check out the winners below.
Performance of the Night: Tim Elliott
Fighting for the first time in 20 months, Tim Elliott (21-14-1 MMA, 10-11 UFC) looked like someone ready to make some moves at flyweight with a second-round submission of former Rizin champion Kai Asakura (21-6 MMA, 0-2 UFC) to open up the main card. Elliott caught Asakura with a brilliant guillotine choke for his second straight submission win.
Performance of the Night: Carlos Prates
In a rarity, Carlos Prates (22-7 MMA, 5-1 UFC) found out while he was in the cage still after his first-round knockout of Geoff Neal (16-7 MMA, 8-5 UFC) that he was getting a bonus. He used his microphone time to tout his birthday (Sunday) and his dramatic spinning elbow knockout with one second left in the opening round – and Dana White obliged with the bonus before even seeing the rest of the card. What’s crazy is, Prates’ spinning back elbow KO was great – but not even the best one of the night.
Performance of the Night: Lerone Murphy
Lerone Murphy (17-0-1 MMA, 9-0-1 UFC) was a betting underdog against former Bellator standout Aaron Pico (13-5 MMA, 0-1 UFC), who was making his UFC debut. But Murphy left no doubt when he drilled Pico with a spinning back elbow that had him out on the canvas for a scary long time.
Performance of the Night: Khamzat Chimaev
In one of the most dominant title fight performances in UFC history, Khamzat Chimaev (15-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) easily took the middleweight belt from Dricus Du Plessis (23-3 MMA, 9-1 UFC) with a 50-44 sweep of the scorecards.
