When you finish a fight with a submission that has previously been used only once in UFC history, it’s more than likely a post-fight bonus will be on the way.
Such was the case for Bryce Mitchell, who received a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” award for his twister submission of Matt Sayles in a preliminary featherweight scrap. Mitchell secured the maneuver 4:20 into the first frame to join Chan Sung Jung as the only fighters to successfully execute the move in the Octagon.
Elsewhere, Rob Font and Ricky Simon pocketed “Fight of the Night” honors and $50,000 apiece for their entertaining bantamweight tilt. While Simon did his best to impose his will through takedowns, Font was able to keep the fight upright long enough to land a variety of jabs, right hands and uppercuts to capture a unanimous decision triumph.
Finally, Makhmud Muradov earned the evening’s other $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check for a resounding knockout of Trevor Smith in a middleweight contest. A powerful overhand right from Muradov in Round 3 found Smith’s chin, sent his mouthpiece flying and brought an end to the bout at the 4:09 mark.
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