Darren
Elkins is known for his ability to absorb punishment and keep
going. Cub Swanson
is now $50,000 richer for changing the narrative.
Swanson received a “Performance of the Night” bonus for his
first-round stoppage of Elkins in a matchup of veteran
featherweights at
UFC Fight Night 199 at the UFC Apex on Saturday night. Swanson
was able to remain upright and rock Elkins with multi-punch
combinations before ultimately putting his opponent away with a
glancing wheel kick 2:12 into Round 1 for his third win in four
outings.
Elsewhere, Amanda
Lemos and Angela Hill
earned “Fight of the Night” honors and $50,000 apiece for their
competitive strawweight bout. Lemos started quickly when she rocked
Hill with a front kick to the face and followed her foe to the
canvas in pursuit of the finish. Hill recovered and made things
interesting over the final two frames, even making her Brazilian
adversary stumble to the mat with a spinning back elbow in Round 3.
It ultimately wasn’t enough, as Lemos emerged with a split-decision
triumph.
Finally, Melissa
Gatto captured the evening’s other “Performance of the Night”
award thanks to a third-round technical knockout of Sijara
Eubanks at flyweight. A front kick to the body made Eubanks
double over in pain, and Gatto capitalized with follow-up punches
for the finish 45 seconds into Round 3.