It should come as no surprise that Amanda Nunes took home a Performance of the Night bonus at UFC 232, what with shocking the world and all.
What a night. The talk following UFC 232, the promotion’s final event of 2018, wasn’t about Jon Jones for a change. Not about failed drug tests, or the thrice-stripped champ once again winning UFC gold. Once again defeating Alexander Gustafsson. Instead, it was about Amanda Nunes, who stole the show in Los Angeles, shocking the world by knocking out Cris Cyborg to win a second UFC title.
History in the making. Nunes (17-4) becomes the UFC’s first female “champ champ.” Bantamweight, and now featherweight. And looked like a killer in doing so. Cyborg was the most feared competitor on the women’s side of the sport. She had not lost in a decade. Her power was awe-inspiring. Yet when Nunes came out swinging for the fences, looking every bit as powerful as her foe, fans knew they were in for a hell of a fight. What they got was ‘The Lioness’ knocking Cris Cyborg out clean in 51 seconds.
The feat earned Nunes one of two Performance of the Night awards at UFC 232. The other went to Ryan Hall, for his heel hook submission of BJ Penn. Penn, who has not won a fight since 2010, had never been submitted before. Hall, who had not fought in two years, changed that in an instant.
💰💰💰 @Amanda_Leoa | @RyanHall5050 | @ChadMendes vs @AlexVolkanovski @P3Protein #UFC232 pic.twitter.com/lGjnrZkKLm
— UFC (@ufc) December 30, 2018
Fight of the Night was awarded to Chad Mendes and Alexander Volkanovski, in a fight that saw Volkanovski earn a second round TKO. He’s clearly arrived at contender status.
On a night with ten finishes, there was plenty to choose from, but it’s hard to argue against the four fighters selected. Each will earn an extra $50,000 for their showing at UFC 232.
