There were several memorable knockouts at
UFC on ESPN 21, and the promotion doled out four “Performance
of the Night” bonuses as a result.
Max
Griffin received $50,000 for a short night at the office
against Kenan Song
in the evening’s middleweight co-main event. The former Tachi
Palace Fights champion finished his foe off with a blitz of punches
against the fence, sending Song facedown into the canvas 2:20 into
Round 1.
Meanwhile, Adrian
Yanez authored a more measured effort against Gustavo
Lopez, but the end result was largely the same. The
bantamweight prospect found his opening in Round 3, ending the
contest with a powerful right hook 27 seconds into the period for
his second promotional triumph and an extra $50,000.
Elsewhere, Grant
Dawson waited until the last minute to put Leonardo
Santos away, but the finish was worth a $50,000 payday. After a
largely competitive fight, Dawson unloaded with standing-to-ground
hammerfists as Santos attempted a heel hook in the waning seconds
of the fight. Ultimately, those blows rendered the Brazilian
unconscious one second before the horn.
Finally, Bruno Silva
earned his first Octagon triumph and $50,000 in emphatic fashion in
the evening’s opening contest against J.P. Buys. Over
the course of the flyweight bout, Silva tied a division record by
flooring his foe three times, the last of which resulted in a
stoppage at the 2:56 mark of Round 2.