The UFC was in a generous mood on Saturday night, as six
competitors from UFC
on ESPN 31 received $50,000 bonus checks.
Rafael
Fiziev was an easy selection for one “Performance of the Night”
bonus thanks to his “Knockout of the Year” candidate against
Brad
Riddell in the co-main event. A spectacular spinning wheel kick
ended the lightweight bout 2:20 into the third round, giving Fiziev
his fifth consecutive triumph at 155 pounds.
Elsewhere, Jamahal
Hill earned a “Performance of the Night” check after making
short work of Jimmy Crute
in a featured light heavyweight bout. In a matchup of former Dana
White’s Contender Series competitors, Hill dropped his foe with a
right hand early, then finished Crute with a right hook and
follow-up ground strike just 48 seconds into Round 1.
Earlier, Clay Guida
rallied from the brink of defeat to submit Leonardo
Santos, earning a “Performance of the Night” payment in the
process. Guida was on the ropes in the opening stanza after Santos
hurt him with a kick to the body and flurried with strikes in
pursuit of the finish. “The Carpenter” survived the onslaught and
quickly grounded a fatigued Santos in Round 2, where he locked in a
rear-naked choke for a tapout at the 1:21 mark of the period.
Chris
Curtis captured the evening’s fourth performance award with an
upset victory over Brendan
Allen at middleweight. A body-head combination put Allen on
wobbly legs, and then Allen put the finishing touches on his
victory with knees and punches against the fence for a stoppage win
1:58 into Round 2.
Finally, Cheyanne
Vlismas and Mallory
Martin garnered “Fight of the Night” honors and $50,000 apiece
for a competitive preliminary scrap at strawweight. Ultimately,
superior striking output and movement carried Vlismas to a
unanimous decision triumph — her second in UFC competition.