Alex
Perez bet on himself, and it paid off handsomely.
The Team Oyama product ended a three-bout skid in emphatic fashion,
as he scored a second-round knockout of Matheus
Nicolau in the UFC
on ESPN 55 headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday
night. A short-notice replacement for the injured Manel Kape,
Perez folded his opponent with a right hook at the 2:16 mark of
Round 2 — earning himself a $50,000 “Performance of the Night”
bonus in the process.
Meanwhile, Bogdan
Guskov garnered a $50,000 “Performance of Night” check for his
finish of Ryan Spann in
the co-main event at lightweight. After being controlled on the
canvas in Round 1, the Uzbekistan dropped Spann and then sealed his
victory with a barrage of unanswered strikes on the ground to force
a stoppage at the 3:16 mark of Round 2.
Elsewhere, Jhonata
Diniz captured a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” award by
rallying for a second-round knockout of Austen Lane
at heavyweight. The Brazilian kickboxer rocked his foe, then
rendered him unconscious with a left hook 2:12 into the period.
Finally, Uros Medic
secured a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” award with a
first-round stoppage of Tim Means in a
featured welterweight contest. Medic dropped “The Dirty Bird” with
a powerful uppercut and then put his veteran foe away with a
follow-up punch at the 2:09 mark of the period.