On a card with eight finishes— nine, nearly, until it became clear that Chris Weidman double-poked Bruno Silva in their UFC Atlantic City middleweight bout — bonus money was always going to be a hot topic.
While similar nights back on the road have seen the UFC open up the pocketbook, the usual four bonuses were dished out following Saturday night’s card.
That said, at least one bonus almost felt like a given: Nate Landwehr returned to the win column in a nasty scrap with Jamall Emmers. Nasty for Emmers, most certainly, but for Landwehr as well, who was bloodied quite badly when he delivered the finishing blows.
For Nate “the Train,” a former M-1 featherweight champ, the knockout happens to be his first under the UFC banner. A rather surprising statistic, given his tendency to engage in ultraviolent affairs.
The win earned Landwehr one Performance of the Night bonus at UFC Atlantic City. The second went to Dennis Buzukja, who picked up his first victory inside the octagon care of a TKO finish of newcomer Connor Matthews.
Fight of the Night honors at UFC Atlantic City went to light heavyweights Ibo Aslan and Anton Turkalj. The pair were fighting in a rematch, with Turkalj picking up the win in their first meeting, outside the UFC. On Saturday, Aslan took his revenge, finding the finish in the third and final round. That avenges the only blemish on his professional record.
All four bonus-winners on Saturday night will pocket the usual $50,000 for their efforts, on top of show/win money, outfitting pay etc.
