UFC
on ESPN 58 was a memorable night for Tatsuro
Taira in more ways than one.
Not only did the Japanese prospect earned his first main event
triumph in
UFC competition, but he also secured a $50,000 “Performance of
the Night” bonus for his efforts. Taira improved to 16-0 as a
professional with a second-round technical knockout victory against
Alex
Perez on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Taira used a
body triangle and back control to wrench his foe to the canvas, a
maneuver that resulted in a knee injury for Perez at the 2:59 mark
of Round 2.
Elsewhere, Brady
Hiestand rallied from a second-round knockdown to earn a
$50,000 “Performance of the Night” check for a submission triumph
against Garrett
Armfield in a featured bantamweight affair. Hiestand brought an
end to the contest with a rear-naked choke at the 1:52 mark of
Round 3.
Finally, Gabriella
Fernandes and Carli
Judice received “Fight of the Night” honors and $50,000 apiece
for putting on a striking show in their preliminary flyweight
matchup. The two combatants combined for 288 significant strikes
over the course of their three-round clash, the fifth-highest
combined total in the history of their division. Ultimately,
Fernandes emerged with a hard-fought split-decision triumph.