Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 271
live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device
via the ESPN app. The
Ultimate Fighting Championship returned to Houston on Saturday
with a pay-per-view card anchored by the UFC middleweight
championship fight between Israel
Adesanya and Robert
Whittaker. However, as intriguing as the main event was, it paled in
comparison to their initial meeting and four other fighters on the
UFC 271 card racked up post-fight bonuses. The usual Fight of
the Night and two Performance of the Night bonuses were handed out
and they were well deserved.
Douglas
Silva de Andrade and Sergey
Morozov captured $50K each for their excellent skirmish that
led to their winning the FOTN. De Andrade was rattled badly early
on in their bantamweight tussle when he swallowed an uppercut, knee
and elbows early. Morozov had the Brazilian battered and bloodied,
but de Andrade rallied in the second frame and dropped his foe with
shots to the head and body. Once on the canvas, de Andrade sunk in
the rear-naked choke and put Morozov to sleep.
Heavyweight slugger Tai Tuivasa
pocketed $50K for his thrilling second-round knockout of the fierce
fan-favorite Derrick
Lewis. The giants opened up their attacks in the second after a
rather uneventful opening stanza and when they did, the earth
nearly shifted when it was over. Lewis was swinging wildly for the
KO but Tuivasa withstood the attacks and rocked Lewis with a few
punches and elbows to the head. When the two men clinched briefly
against the cage, Tuivasa unloaded a massive right elbow, forcing
the Lewis to fall face first.
Finally, middleweight contender Jared
Cannonier made a statement for a shot at the title when he
bludgeoned the streaking Derek
Brunson en route to a second-round finish. Cannonier was
relentless and in control early and wore Brunson down with his
pressure. A series of punches and elbows hurt Brunson and once “The
Killa Gorilla” dropped his adversary, a series of ruthless elbows
to the head ended the mugging at the 4:29 mark of the frame,
nabbing a cool $50K.
