Aleksandar Rakic needed less than a minute to leave no doubt that a post-fight bonus check would be in his possession when UFC Stockholm reached its conclusion.
The surging Austrian contender received a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” award for his vicious knockout of Jimi Manuwa in Saturday’s light heavyweight co-main event at Ericcson Globe, his fourth consecutive victory at 205 pounds. Rakic followed a straight right hand with a left high kick that bounced his opponent’s head off the canvas, ending the contest 42 seconds after it began.
Meanwhile, Anthony Smith garnered a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus by virtue of his fourth-round submission of hometown favorite Alexander Gustafsson in the evening’s headliner. After enduring a difficult round three, Smith found an opening to land a takedown and move to his adversary’s back. From there, “Lionheart” flattened his man out and dropped some elbows before securing a rear-naked choke at the 2:38 mark of round four.
Elsewhere, Makwan Amirkhani padded his bank account with a second-round submission of Chris Fishgold in a featured featherweight affair. After Fishgold failed on a guillotine choke, “Mr. Finland” secured an anaconda choke and maintained the squeeze until his opponent was forced to tap out at the 4:25 mark of the period.
Finally, Leonardo Santos made a triumphant — and profitable — return to the Octagon, earning the card’s fourth $50,000 “Performance of the Night” for a walk-off knockout of Steven Ray in a preliminary lightweight scrap. A powerful counter right hand knocked Ray unconscious 2:17 into the first round as the Brazilian remained unbeaten in the Las Vegas-based promotion.