On a night that turned out to have some impressive performances, one fight stood head and shoulders above the rest. On paper, the UFC on ESPN 11 co-main event featherweight scrap between Josh Emmett and Shane Burgos looked promising.
It more than delivered. Fireworks would be an understatement, as Burgos and Emmett engaged in a three-round war that never seemed to let up. Both men were swinging hard early. No one seemed to want to take a step backwards. Both were clearly highly motivated.
It wasn’t until the third that someone really took control, and that was Emmett, thanks to a couple of hard shots that rocked/dropped Burgos. Yet showing ample heart, a clearly damaged Burgos stayed in it to the end.
Zero surprise, then, that the fight landed the Fight of the Night bonus, announced by UFC officials post-fight.
When it came to the Performance of the Night bonuses meanwhile, there was a strong trio to choose from. Justin Jaynes, joining the UFC on just a few days notice, earned a huge TKO win over Frank Camacho early in the opening round of their preliminary card fight. Gillian Robertson dominated Cortney Casey on the ground before submitting her via rear-naked choke in the third. Picking up her fifth win at flyweight in the process, which tied her with champ Valentina Shevchenko. And Jim Miller, in his 35th UFC fight, made short work of the lanky Roosevelt Roberts, submitting his taller opponent by arm-bar.
In the end, the promotion went with Miller and Jaynes. Both fighters, as well as the Fight of the Night winners at UFC on ESPN 11, will pocket an extra $50,000.
