Marlon Moraes had the shortest night of any winner at UFC Fight Night 131, but he was perhaps the easiest choice for a post-fight bonus check.
The former World Series of Fighting champion earned a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus for his first-round knockout of Jimmie Rivera in the evening’s main event at the Adirondack Bank Center in Utica, N.J. Moraes finished Rivera with a left high switch kick and follow-up punches 33 seconds after their fight began.
Meanwhile, a typically relentless approach propelled Gregor Gillespie to a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” award and a second-round submission of Vinc Pichel in the lightweight co-headliner. Gillespie advanced to full mount late in the second stanza and eventually transitioned to an arm-triangle choke, securing the tapout at the 4:06 mark.
Elsewhere, Ben Saunders showcased a devastating clinch game in a first-round finish of Jake Ellenberger to capture a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check in a featured welterweight affair. Saunders landed several knees to the body in close quarters before one final blow from the Thai plum connected squarely on the liver and ended Ellenberger’s night 1:56 into the period.
Finally, newcomer Nathaniel Wood garnered the evening’s final $50,000 “Performance of the Night” award for a second-round submission of Johnny Eduardo in a preliminary bantamweight scrap. Wood turned the tide of the fight when Eduardo tried for an ill-advised takedown in the second stanza. Wood stuffed the attempt, framed a brabo choke and earned the tapout 2:18 into round two.