On a night when Amanda Nunes staked her claim to being the greatest fighter in women’s MMA history, it should come as no surprise that she got a little something extra for her work.
Nunes received a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus for her stunning knockout of Cristiane Justino in the UFC 232 main event at the Forum in Inglewood, Calif., on Saturday night. Nunes rocked “Cyborg” early and didn’t let up, ultimately sending her opponent face-first to the canvas with a right hand just 51 seconds after the featherweight title bout began.
Elsewhere, Alexander Volkanovski and Chad Mendes received “Fight of the Night” honors and $50,000 apiece for their scintillating featherweight scrap to open the pay-per-view portion of the card. Volkanovski survived an early knockdown in the opening stanza to turn up the heat on the former title challenger down the stretch. The Australian rallied to drop Mendes with a left to the body and right hand over the top before sealing the victory with a couple follow-up punches at the 4:14 mark of round two for his sixth straight UFC win.
Finally, Ryan Hall captured the evening’s other $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check for a quick submission triumph against B.J. Penn in a preliminary lightweight scrap. Hall lured Penn into range before rolling for a heel hook, forcing a tapout 2:46 into the opening frame. It was the first submission defeat for Penn in 31 pro bouts.