The UFC appeared to be clutching its purse strings a little tighter following UFC Vegas 99, a Fight Night card that saw nine of eleven fights go the distance.
Far from throwing cash around at the night’s big winners, the promotion was anything but spendthrift, awarding just two bonuses on the night spread across three fighters: the traditional Fight of the Night, and a single Performance of the Night bonus.
The single Performance bonus went to headliner Anthony Hernandez, who spent the better part of five rounds wearing down Michel “Demolidor” Pereira prior to putting him away in the fifth. The middleweight fight saw “Fluffy” Hernandez looking quite sharp, setting multiple records on the way to his TKO victory, with Pereira tenderized in the later rounds, pounded on until he could do little more than lay in place, sucking back air.
That victory should propel Hernandez closer to the top 10 if not just inside it. It also pockets him $50,000 in bonus cash. A second Performance bonus might have gone to Joselyne Edwards, who had the night’s other finish — a submission of Tamires Vidal — had Edwards not missed weight by a full three pounds for the fight.
Years back, when the UFC switched to Performance of the Night bonuses from Knockout of the Night and Submission of the Night, the idea seemed to be about flexibility. After all, a fighter can have one of the best performances on a given night and not put away a durable opponent. In practice, Performance of the Night still seems to boil down to finishes. So sorry, Elise Reed, who just a week ago got hitched, you don’t get a post-fight bonus despite lighting up Jessica Penne in the second and third rounds.
Instead, just Hernandez and Darren Elkins vs. Daniel Pineda pick up bonus cash. Fight of the Night at UFC Vegas 99 was never in question, with Elkins vs. Pineda a bloody thriller. What’s that, blood in a Darren Elkins fight? Who saw that coming? Yet it was Pineda, not Elkins, spilling pints, though he did he best to catch Elkins in a submission. When that didn’t happen, it was Elkins coming away with the win — and Daniel Pineda calling it a career.
