Four “Performance of the Night” awards were handed out following
UFC
258 on Saturday night.
Kamaru
Usman received $50,000 for his third-round technical knockout
victory against Gilbert
Burns in the evening’s main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
After getting rocked in the opening stanza, “The Nigerian
Nightmare” gradually took control behind a powerful jab, ultimately
flooring his former foe and finishing the victory with
ground-and-pound 34 seconds into the third frame to retain his
170-pound belt.
Earlier on the main card, Julian
Marquez pocketed $50,000 for a come-from-behind victory against
Maki
Pitolo in a featured middleweight affair. “The Cuban Missile
Crisis” struggled defending his opponent’s wrestling for two rounds
befoe rallying to submit Pitolo with an anaconda choke at the 4:17
mark of Round 3.
Elsewhere, Anthony
Hernandez garnered $50,000 for a shocking submission of former
Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championships gold
medalist Rodolfo
Vieira in a preliminary middleweight contest. Hernandez
survived Vieira’s initial onslaught in the first round and when his
adversary fatigued, blasted his opponent with offense on the feet
before securing a guillotine choke on the gassed Brazilian 1:53
into Round 2.
Finally, Polyana
Viana captured the card’s fourth $50,000 performance bonus
thanks to a swift tapout of Mallory
Martin in a preliminary strawweight matchup. Viana was taken
down early but was able to secure a triangle choke from her back.
After punishing Martin with elbows from that position, Viana
transitioned to a fight-ending armbar 3:18 into the first
period.