A spinning backfist gave Steven Peterson a place in UFC history, while Paul Craig’s submission of Vinicius Moreira earned him a Performance of the Night bonus at UFC Mexico City.
Steven Peterson went to UFC Mexico City on a mission, with his back to the wall. Two straight losses heading in. He came out of the Fight Night event $50,000 richer.
Peterson, known as Ocho, found himself under siege in the opening round of his fight against Martin Bravo on Saturday. However, a second round surge saw Peterson (18-9) knock out his opponent with a spinning back fist. That captured him a Performance of the Night bonus.
Peterson’s finish makes him just the seventh UFC fighter to finish a bout by spinning back fist. He joins the likes of Paul Felder (UFC 182) in an exclusive club of athletes who have won a fight in the UFC via the technique.
Scotland’s Paul Craig (12-4) earned himself the other Performance of the Night bonus for submitting Vinicius Moreira earlier on the card.
#UFCMexico POTN
💰 @PCraigMMA | @8Ocho08 💰 pic.twitter.com/rHFI9vgU5r
— UFC (@ufc) September 22, 2019
Fight of the Night honors at UFC Mexico City went to Carla Esparza and Alexa Grasso. Esparza’s wrestling made all the difference in the world through the first two rounds of the fight. However, she was under fire in the third, survived a nasty arm-bar attempt, and was lucky to make it to the scorecards. When she did, she’d done enough to win a majority decision.
All four bonus-winning fighters will take up an extra $50,000 for their efforts.
