UFC 334 bonuses: Heavyweight title classic steals show in NYC
The UFC handed out four bonuses after Saturday's card in New York, including a pair to an all-time classic in the main event.
After UFC 334, four fighters picked up an extra $100,000 for their performances at Madison Square Garden. Additionally, two fighters got $25,000 extra checks for finishes that weren’t bonus-winners.
Check out the list of winners below.
Fight of the Night: Ciryl Gane, Josh Hokit ($100,000 each)
Ciryl Gane (15-2 MMA, 12-2 UFC) and Josh Hokit (10-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) put on an all-timer of a heavyweight title fight and set a record for most strikes in a bout in the division. Hokit caused much chaos for Gane and looked like he might steal a scorecard or two. But Gane held on for a trio of 48-47 scores to retain his title.
Performance of the Night: Kayla Harrison ($100,000)
Kayla
Harrison (20-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) looked like the tide might be ready to turn on her in the fourth round against Amanda Nunes (23-6 MMA, 16-3 UFC), when nearly out of nowhere the fight was over. Harrison retained the women’s bantamweight title in the co-main event when she tapped ex-dual champion Nunes with a rear-naked choke. The submission came after Harrison caught a kick and briefly set the Brazilian off-balance. Within a couple seconds of taking her back, the choke was in and Nunes was tapping in her return from retirement.
Performance of the Night: Stephen Thompson ($100,000)
Stephen Thompson (18-9-1 MMA, 13-9-1 UFC) delivered an all-time finish when he stopped Charles Radtke (12-6 MMA, 5-3 UFC) with a head kick in the third round. The finish came in the retirement fight for “Wonderboy,” and not only did it snap a three-fight skid for the 43-year-old two-time welterweight title challenger, but it came the same way he started in the UFC – with a spinning hook kick for the perfect poetic finish. It was Thompson’s first finish in nearly 11 years that wasn’t a corner stoppage.
Finish bonus: Cesar Almeida ($25,000)
Cesar Almeida (8-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC) was one of the biggest underdogs on the card against an unbeaten KO specialist in Donte Johnson (9-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC), and he upset the apple cart in a big way with a first-round TKO. The two fought at a 190-pound contract weight on Almeida’s request.
Finish bonus: Bia Mesquita ($25,000)
Bia Mesquita (9-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) made reasonably quick and easy work of Macy Chiasson (10-7 MMA, 8-7 UFC) with a first-round rear-naked choke. It gave her four straight submissions to open her UFC career – which passed the company record held by Ronda Rousey at three.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC 334 bonuses: Heavyweight title classic steals show in NYC
