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The UFC handed out four bonuses after Saturday's card in Macau, including one to the headliner who saved the night for his home fans, who had been disappointed up until his win.
After UFC Fight Night 277, four fighters picked up an extra $100,000 for their performances at Galaxy Macau. Additionally, six fighters got $25,000 extra checks for finishes that weren’t bonus-winners.
Check out the list of winners below.
Alonzo Menifield (18-6-1 MMA, 11-6-1 UFC) played the role of spoiler to perfection when he took out 3-1 betting favorite Zhang Mingyang (19-8 MMA, 3-2 UFC) on Mingyang’s home turf. Menifield was relentless and though he got clipped a few times, he never let up once he had Mingyang hurt and got the finish with 45 seconds left in the opening round.
Yadong Song (23-9-1 MMA, 12-4-1 UFC) didn’t have an ideal first round against ex-flyweight champ Deiveson Figueiredo (25-7-1 MMA, 14-7-1 UFC) in their bantamweight headliner. But in the second, he stayed composed, started to take over, and late in the round, he took Figueiredo’s neck so quickly the broadcast team couldn’t believe it. And within seconds, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt with five guillotine chokes on his resume was tapping to one. Song won in front of his home fans for the first time in eight years, and he was the only Chinese fighter on the card to leave with a win.
Former RIZIN champion Kai Asakura (22-6 MMA, 1-2 UFC) made a huge return to bantamweight and took out Cameron Smotherman (12-7 MMA, 1-3 UFC) with a first-round knockout for his first win in the UFC. Asakura debuted in the promotion with a flyweight title shot, but lost his first two UFC fights at 125 pounds before his move up. He left Smotherman dazed and confused on the canvas after a lethal right hand.
Heavyweight Sergei Pavlovich (21-3 MMA, 9-3 UFC) wasted zero time against Tallison Teixeira (9-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) in their featured bout on the main card. He swarmed him immediately, popped his head back, then put the foot on the gas for a 39-second TKO. Then he called to be in the heavyweight title shot mix in the midst of a chaotic time in the division.
Luis Felipe (17-5 MMA, 1-0 UFC) had about as perfect a promotional debut as could be hoped for when he took out fellow debutant Yi Sak Lee (8-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) with a first-round TKO. The Brazilian knocked Lee down early, but stayed patient before he put him away at the 3:40 mark.
Australian bantamweight prospect Cody Haddon (9-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) looked stellar in his return from a lengthy layoff when he drilled Aori Qileng (26-13 MMA, 4-5 UFC) with a knee to the liver. He then took him out on the canvas for the finish midway through the second round.
Rei Tsuruya (11-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) ripped through Luis Gurule (11-4 MMA, 1-4 UFC) in short order and forced him to tap from a rear-naked choke a little past the midway mark of the opening round. The fight was Tsuruya’s first in 14 months.
Rodrigo Vera (22-1-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) fought in his UFC debut like he had something to prove against Kangjie Zhu (21-5 MMA, 0-1 UFC). Fighting in front of analyst Michael Bisping, who skipped over Vera in team selection on “The Ultimate Fighter,” knocked out Zhu less than two minutes into the first round in a short-notice fight in his opponent’s territory.
Jaqueline Amorim (11-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) opened the show with near perfection against Loma Lookboonme (10-5 MMA, 7-4 UFC). She took her down after a clinch fight, then worked for a submission until she got the armbar tap with 56 seconds left in the opening round.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC Macau bonuses: Yadong Song plays $100,000 tune in home headliner
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After UFC Fight Night 277, four fighters picked up an extra $100,000 for their performances at Galaxy Macau. Additionally, six fighters got $25,000 extra checks for finishes that weren’t bonus-winners.
Check out the list of winners below.
Fight of the Night: Alonzo Menifield, Zhang Mingyang ($100,000 each)
Alonzo Menifield (18-6-1 MMA, 11-6-1 UFC) played the role of spoiler to perfection when he took out 3-1 betting favorite Zhang Mingyang (19-8 MMA, 3-2 UFC) on Mingyang’s home turf. Menifield was relentless and though he got clipped a few times, he never let up once he had Mingyang hurt and got the finish with 45 seconds left in the opening round.
Performance of the Night: Yadong Song ($100,000)
Yadong Song (23-9-1 MMA, 12-4-1 UFC) didn’t have an ideal first round against ex-flyweight champ Deiveson Figueiredo (25-7-1 MMA, 14-7-1 UFC) in their bantamweight headliner. But in the second, he stayed composed, started to take over, and late in the round, he took Figueiredo’s neck so quickly the broadcast team couldn’t believe it. And within seconds, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt with five guillotine chokes on his resume was tapping to one. Song won in front of his home fans for the first time in eight years, and he was the only Chinese fighter on the card to leave with a win.
Performance of the Night: Kai Asakura ($100,000)
Former RIZIN champion Kai Asakura (22-6 MMA, 1-2 UFC) made a huge return to bantamweight and took out Cameron Smotherman (12-7 MMA, 1-3 UFC) with a first-round knockout for his first win in the UFC. Asakura debuted in the promotion with a flyweight title shot, but lost his first two UFC fights at 125 pounds before his move up. He left Smotherman dazed and confused on the canvas after a lethal right hand.
Finish bonus: Sergei Pavlovich ($25,000)
Heavyweight Sergei Pavlovich (21-3 MMA, 9-3 UFC) wasted zero time against Tallison Teixeira (9-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) in their featured bout on the main card. He swarmed him immediately, popped his head back, then put the foot on the gas for a 39-second TKO. Then he called to be in the heavyweight title shot mix in the midst of a chaotic time in the division.
Finish bonus: Luis Felipe ($25,000)
Luis Felipe (17-5 MMA, 1-0 UFC) had about as perfect a promotional debut as could be hoped for when he took out fellow debutant Yi Sak Lee (8-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) with a first-round TKO. The Brazilian knocked Lee down early, but stayed patient before he put him away at the 3:40 mark.
Finish bonus: Cody Haddon ($25,000)
Australian bantamweight prospect Cody Haddon (9-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) looked stellar in his return from a lengthy layoff when he drilled Aori Qileng (26-13 MMA, 4-5 UFC) with a knee to the liver. He then took him out on the canvas for the finish midway through the second round.
Finish bonus: Rei Tsuruya ($25,000)
Rei Tsuruya (11-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) ripped through Luis Gurule (11-4 MMA, 1-4 UFC) in short order and forced him to tap from a rear-naked choke a little past the midway mark of the opening round. The fight was Tsuruya’s first in 14 months.
Finish bonus: Rodrigo Vera ($25,000)
Rodrigo Vera (22-1-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) fought in his UFC debut like he had something to prove against Kangjie Zhu (21-5 MMA, 0-1 UFC). Fighting in front of analyst Michael Bisping, who skipped over Vera in team selection on “The Ultimate Fighter,” knocked out Zhu less than two minutes into the first round in a short-notice fight in his opponent’s territory.
Finish bonus: Jaqueline Amorim ($25,000)
Jaqueline Amorim (11-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) opened the show with near perfection against Loma Lookboonme (10-5 MMA, 7-4 UFC). She took her down after a clinch fight, then worked for a submission until she got the armbar tap with 56 seconds left in the opening round.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC Macau bonuses: Yadong Song plays $100,000 tune in home headliner
Continue reading...
