Anthony Smith is putting people away at light heavyweight and padding his bank account in the process.
Smith received a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus for his third-round submission of Volkan Oezdemir in the UFC Fight Night 138 headliner in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada, on Saturday night. “Lionheart” survived some rough patches early to tap out the former title challenger with a rear-naked choke 4:26 into the third frame. Smith has finished all three of his wins since moving to light heavyweight.
Elsewhere, Nasrat Haqparast and Thibault Gouti received “Fight of the Night” honors and $50,000 apiece for their three-round lightweight battle. Haqparast rocked Gouti repeatedly with heavy punches and a kick to the body, but the Frenchman managed to survive the assault to make it to the final bell. Still, Haqparast’s barrage was enough to earn a unanimous decision on the scorecards.
Finally, South African newcomer Don Madge pocketed the evening’s other $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check for his emphatic finish of Te Edwards in a preliminary lightweight affair. Madge put his foe away with a head kick just 14 seconds into the second stanza for a memorable Octagon debut.