Not one, but two spinning back elbow finishes were among the bonus winning efforts at UFC 319 in Chicago on Saturday.
Fans at the United Center in the Windy City got a rare treat on that front. Spinning back elbows are rare enough, even more so when they lead to finishes. Two in a row, and in back-to-back fights? Virtually unheard of. Yet Carlos Prates, who opened up a nasty gash on the head of Geoff Neal, and Lerone Murphy, who sent a concussed Aaron Pico to hospital one fight later, pulled off the feat.
With big finishes like that, there was no surprise at seeing the UFC forgo a Fight of the Night award at UFC 319, instead rewarding four individual efforts. Prates learned he’d won a bonus before the event was even over, with Dana White confirming he’d bagged the 50K in extra cash during the Brazilian’s post-fight interview with Joe Rogan. White also granted another Prates wish: he’ll be fighting in Rio de Janeiro when the UFC returns to Brazil later this year.
Main event star Khamzat Chimaev, who ran all over middleweight champ Dricus Du Plessis to claim the belt, also takes home a Performance bonus, despite not having a finish. While it’s been a long time since the UFC’s Submission of the Night and Knockout of the Night bonuses were renamed, it’s still rare to see a Performance bonus awarded to a fighter who doesn’t finish their bout — but Chimaev was extremely dominant in the one-sided affair.
Flyweight Tim Elliott, who put away Japan’s Kai Asakura with a guillotine choke to kick off the UFC 319 main card, picked up the remaining Performance bonus on Saturday.
