Virtually all the big names at the top of the UFC 238 card delivered on Saturday night, as Henry Cejudo, Valentina Shevchenko, Tony Ferguson and Donald Cerrone captured $50,000 bonus checks.
Cejudo earned a “Performance of the Night” award for his third-round technical knockout of Marlon Moraes in the evening’s main event, a victory which added the 135-pound belt to his trophy case. After absorbing some heavy leg kicks in the opening round, Cejudo rallied to overwhelm Moraes and earn the finish at the 4:51 mark of the third frame to become the fourth simultaneous two-division champ in promotion history.
Meanwhile, Shevchenko received the card’s other “Performance of the Night” bonus due to a “Knockout of the Year” contender in the co-headliner. The reigning flyweight queen retained her belt in brutal fashion, knocking out Jessica Eye with a head kick 26 seconds into round two for her first successful title defense.
Finally, Ferguson and Cerrone were entertaining as advertised, capturing “Fight of the Night” honors for their featured lightweight tilt. The combatants went toe-to-toe for 10 minutes, but the contest was halted before the third round when Cerrone’s eye swelled shut. Even before that, it appeared that Ferguson was on his way to earning a victory.