Michael
Chandler had an Ultimate Fighting Championship debut to
remember, and it helped make his payday that much better.
The former Bellator MMA lightweight king made short work of
Dan
Hooker in the
UFC 257 co-main event, an effort that netted him a $50,000
“Performance of the Night” bonus. The finishing sequence began when
Chandler floored his foe with a right hand to the body followed by
a left hook upstairs. From there, he unloaded with right hands
until the bout was stopped 2:30 into Round 1.
Meanwhile, Dustin
Poirier gained revenge and a $50,000 “Performance of the Night”
check for his second-round stoppage of Conor
McGregor in the lightweight main event. Poirier attacked his
foe’s calf with low kicks and backed him into the fence, where he
dropped the Irishman with a right hook and sealed his win with a
barrage of follow-up strikes at the 2:32 mark of the frame.
Earlier, Marina
Rodriguez garnered a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” award
for her upset victory against Amanda
Ribas in a featured strawweight affair. After spending most of
Round 1 on her back, Rodriguez rocked Ribas with a right hook and
after a period of confusion, finished her foe off 54 seconds into
the second frame.
Finally, Makhmud
Muradov captured the card’s fourth $50,000 “Performance of the
Night” bonus for an impressive finish of Andrew
Sanchez in a middleweight clash. In Round 3, Muradov put
Sanchez on wobbly legs with an overhand right, followed up with a
flying knee and teed off with punches against the fence for a
stoppage 2:59 into the period.