Whatever you’ve thought of the UFC’s recent slate of events (some of which have been rather thin as the promotion limps towards the end of its broadcast deal with ESPN), Saturday marked a return to form care of UFC 320 in Las Vegas.
A very solid Pay-Per-View offering brimming with star power, the card lived up to expectations and then some. So it was no surprise to see a little extra bonus money thrown around, though four fighters still collected that cash in the end.
Fight of the Night went to the main card light heavyweight showdown between Jiri Prochazka, the former 205lb champ, and Khalil Rountree Jr., who roughly a year ago fought Alex Pereira for that very title. Rountree, with sharper striking, was solidly up two rounds to nil in the fight, only for Prochazka to storm back in the third. Lighting Rountree up every which way, Prochazka unleashed knees, elbows, body shots, lefts, and rights before finally toppling the American.
For Prochazka, who is now in the hunt for a title shot, the win didn’t just see him earn Fight of the Night, but a Performance of the Night bonus as well — $100,000 in bonus money.
Alex Pereira, who reclaimed his 205lb title in a dominant stoppage of Magomed Ankalaev unscored by nasty 12-6 elbows (now legal), earned one of the remaining Performance of the Night bonuses. Joe Pyfer, who submitted Abus Magomedov to kick off the UFC 320 main card, pocketed the other.
