Weili Zhang and Joanna Jedrzejczyk put on a show for the ages in the UFC 248 co-main event.
The strawweight title bout was a no-brainer selection for “Fight of the Night,” as both fighters added an extra $50,000 to their respective bank accounts. The combatants traded blows for five grueling rounds, but ultimately Zhang’s power earned her a memorable split-decision triumph at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Elsewhere, Beneil Dariush earned a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus for his second-round knockout of Drakkar Klose in a preliminary lightweight affair. After threatening with a rear-naked choke for much of the opening stanza, Dariush put his stamp on a brief second-round slugfest, winning via knockout 60 seconds into the period.
Finally, Sean O’Malley pocketed the evening’s other $50,000 “Performance of the Night” award on the strength of a quick finish of Jose Alberto Quinonez in a preliminary bantamweight clash. “Sugar” overwhelmed his foe with a right hook, high kick and uppercut near the fence before sealing his victory with a volley of hammerfists 2:02 into Round 1.