Alexander Volkov, Jan Blachowicz, Jimi Manuwa and Paul Craig were the recipients of $50,000 bonuses for their work at UFC Fight Night 127 on Saturday at the O2 Arena in London.
Volkov earned a “Performance of the Night” award for his fourth-round stoppage of ex-champion Fabricio Werdum in the evening’s heavyweight headliner. After being grounded for the better part of the first two rounds, the Russian took control down the stretch, ultimately putting his foe away with a series of punches at the 1:38 mark of round four.
Meanwhile, Jan Blachowicz and Jimi Manuwa captured “Fight of the Night” honors for their light heavyweight duel in the co-main event. While Manuwa defeated Blachowicz in their first meeting some three years ago, the Pole exacted his revenge in the rematch. Blachowicz rocked his foe in round one and generally outpaced him on the feet for most of the contest to earn a unanimous decision. for his third straight win.
Finally, Paul Craig got the card’s other “Performance of the Night” paycheck for his unlikely submission triumph over the debuting Magomed Ankalaev at light heavyweight. On his way to losing a decision, Craig rallied to submit his Russian foe with a triangle choke from guard at the 4:59 mark of round three.