When the dust had settled at UFC 259 at the Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday, there were a number of big developments. But one takeaway from the card was that arguably, the preliminary portion of the event may have out-performed the main card.
That was reflected in the post-fight bonuses.
Fight of the Night went to Kennedy Nzechukwu vs. Carlos Ulberg, an absolute barn burner of a light heavyweight battle on the Fight Pass prelims. Ulberg stormed out of the gate, finding success early. A teammate of Israel Adesanya at City Kickboxing, Ulberg’s debut had been hotly anticipated. But after that early swarm, Ulberg tired. Nzechukwu began turning it on, and Ulberg’s hands were low, and head stationary. Which led to a TKO finish for Nzechukwu.
Performance of the Night bonuses went to Uros Medic and Kai Kara-France. Medic, like Ulberg, was making his promotional debut. The flashy undefeated fighter definitely lived up to expectations, catching Aalon Cruz with a flying knee before finishing him with ground and pound. The only negative from the fight was a very, very late stoppage by the ref.
Kara-France, meanwhile, featured in an early Comeback of the Year candidate at UFC 259. The City Kickboxing flyweight was dominated for the better part of a round before a late walk-off KO over Rogerio Bontorin.
All four fighters will pick up an extra $50,000 U.S. for their efforts.
