The Octagon invaded Chicago for tonight’s UFC 319 event, and four fighters wound up taking home performance bonuses.
UFC 319 was headlined by a middleweight title fight featuring Dricus Du Plessis taking on the unbeaten Khamzat Chimaev. The bout proved to be a one-sided affair, as Chimaev was able to dominate Du Plessis for four straight rounds, this while utilizing his superior grappling to overwhelm and control the South African. Although ‘DDP’ was able to mount some offense in round five, it wasn’t nearly enough to rectify the dominance that Khamzat Chimaev had put forth in the opening four rounds. After 25-minutes of action, Chimaev was awarded a much-deserved unanimous decision win.
UFC 319 was co-headlined by an intriguing men’s featherweight matchup featuring Lerone Murphy taking on former Bellator standout Aaron Pico. Although the American landed some big blows in the opening minutes, it was nothing compared to the spinning back elbow that ‘The Miracle’ landed to end the fight in the final seconds of the opening frame. Aaron Pico was rendered out cold and Lerone Murphy walked away with another massive win.
Following the conclusion of tonight’s event, UFC officials announced at the post-fight press conference that four fighters would be taking home performance bonuses.
Performance of the night: Khamzat Chimaev earned an extra $50k for his dominant unanimous decision win over Dricus Du Plessis in tonight’s UFC 319 main event (see that here).
Performance of the night: Tim Elliott pocketed an extra $50k for his second-round submission victory over Kai Asakura. After a tough opening round, Elliott battled back to force the tap in the second frame.
Performance of the night: Carlos Prates earned an extra $50k for his first-round knockout victory over Geoff Neal. Prates landing a spinning back elbow in the final seconds of the opening round to earn the stoppage (see that here).
Performance of the night: Lerone Murphy pocketed an extra $50k for his brutal first-round knockout victory over Aaron Pico. ‘The Miracle’ landed a perfectly timed spinning back elbow to render the former Bellator standout unconscious in the late stages of the opening round (see that here).
Are you surprised by any of the performance bonuses handed out by Dana White and company following the conclusion of tonight’s UFC 319 event in Chicago? Share your thoughts in the comment section PENN Nation!