Canada’s own Nordine Taleb was among the bonus winners at UFC Winnipeg on Saturday.
Saturday night, UFC on FOX 26 in Winnipeg, Manitoba produced an exciting evening of fights for MMA fans. The final free UFC card of the year saw plenty of finishes, and nary a dull moment. That meant choosing the evening’s performance bonuses was no easy task. Ultimately, the promotion tabbed four fights — two Performance of the Night awards, plus Fight of the Night — all of whom appeared on the night’s preliminary card.
Fight of the Night honors were awarded to middleweights Julian Marquez and Darren Stewart. Marquez, who earned his ticket to the UFC on Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series, finished the fight in the second round with a guillotine that put Stewart out. ‘The Cuban Missile Crisis’ (one of the more bizarre nicknames in MMA, though a great way to get the kids into a history lesson) had made stops in LFA and Bellator earlier in his career. Without question, however, the victory over Darren Stewart was his biggest to date.
Canadian Nordine Taleb picked up one of two Performance of the Night awards, thanks to his crushing knockout of Britain’s Danny Roberts. Taleb called for a bonus after his big win, noting that his stoppage of Erick Silva last year had gone unrewarded.
The other Performance of the Night bonus was given to Italy’s Alessio Di Chirico, who finished Oluwale Bamgbose with a knee in their middleweight scrap.
All four fighters will receive $50,000 USD for their efforts at UFC on FOX 26.
