Kevin Vallejos made short work of Josh Emmett. |
Getty/UFC
Kevin
Vallejos delivered on the biggest stage of his career to
date.
The 24-year-old Argentina native earned a $100,000 “Performance of
the Night” award for his first-round technical knockout victory
over Josh Emmett
in the
UFC Vegas 114 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las
Vegas. Vallejos dropped his opponent with a right hand early, then
sealed his victory with a barrage of offense against the fence at
the 3:33 mark of Round 1.
Newcomers Earn Extra Cash
Meanwhile, Marwan
Rahiki and Harry
Hardwick secured “Fight of the Night” honors and $100,000
apiece for their wild featherweight battle on the main card. While
both fighters had their moments during a series of furious
exchanges, Rahiki did the most significant damage, forcing the bout
to be halted after due rounds after it was suspected that Hardwick
suffered a broken jaw.
Finally, Octagon newcomer Manoel
Sousa received the evening’s other $100,000 “Performance of the
Night” check thanks to his finish of Bolaji Oki
in a preliminary lightweight tilt. A powerful right hand from the
Brazilian rendered Oki unconscious at the 4:12 mark of the third
period.