Carlos Prates authored one of two spinning back elbow KOs at UFC
319. | Getty/UFC
Carlos
Prates’ post-fight honors were decided before he even exited
the Octagon.
The Fighting Nerds representative received a $50,000 “Performance
of the Night” award for his knockout of Geoff Neal in
a featured welterweight bout at
UFC 319 on Saturday at the United Center in Chicago. With time
winding down in the opening stanza, Prates unleashed a vicious
spinning back elbow — a blow that rendered Neal unconscious at the
4:59 mark of the period. During his post-fight interview, UFC
commentator Joe Rogan informed the Brazilian that he had already
secured a performance bonus.
Just when it seemed that Prates had stolen the show, Lerone
Murphy followed with the exact same finish in the evening’s
co-main event to earn a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check of
his own. “The Iceman” spoiled the debut of former Bellator star
Aaron
Pico, vanquishing his foe with a spinning back elbow 3:21 into
the opening frame.
New UFC Champ Get Performance Bonus
Meanwhile, Khamzat
Chimaev’s dominant performance in the UFC 319 headliner not
only earned him the middleweight championship, but he also picked
up a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus. Chimaev stifled
Dricus Du
Plessis for five rounds with wrestling and control to earn a
lopsided unanimous decision victory.
Finally, Tim Elliott
took home the evening’s fourth $50,000 “Performance of the Night”
payout thanks to a submission of ex-Rizin champ Kai Asakura
in the evening’s opening main card bout. After dropping the first
round, Elliott landed a takedown and forced a scramble with some
elbows from top position. From there, he transitioned to a mounted
guillotine and forced a tapout 4:39 into Round 2.