UFC Vegas 41 saw a fantastic main event play out in Marvin Vettori vs. Paulo Costa. But it was another middleweight fight (not that Vettori vs. Costa was at 185lbs in the end) that claimed the Fight of the Night bonus on Saturday.
That, rather, went to Gregory Rodrigues vs. Jun Yong Park. The fight found “Robocop” Rodrigues, a former LFA champion, in his second octagon outing. Park had won three straight under the promotional banner to start the night.
For as long as it lasted, Rodrigues vs. Park was a war. Early on, both men found some success, and towards the end of the first frame, Rodrigues threatened on the ground. In the second, the back-and-forth continued until Rodrigues hit Park with a number of right hands, backing the South Korean up. Rodrigues pursued him, and unleashed a number of strikes with Park leaning back against the cage. One landed clean, turning out the lights on Park.
Performance of the Night honors, meanwhile, went to Alex Caceres and Marvin Vettori.
While Vettori and Costa might have otherwise been up for Fight of the Night, Costa’s weight struggles, which forced the bout up a weight class, likely disqualified him from winning a bonus. Instead, the promotion rewarded Vettori, who went the distance to earn a unanimous decision against a fighter who likely had 15 to 20lbs on him come the night of the fight.
Caceres, meanwhile, improved his current win streak to five care of a submission victory against South Korea’s Seung Woo Choi.
All four bonus-winning fighters will pocket an additional $50,000 for their efforts, in addition to show/win money, outfitting pay etc.
