UFC Mexico bonuses: Only one of the six finishes was a $100K winner
· Yahoo Sports
The UFC handed out four bonuses after Saturday's card in Mexico, including two to prospects making their promotional debuts.
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After UFC Fight Night 268, four fighters picked up an extra $100,000 for their performances at Arena CDMX in Mexico City. In addition, five other fighters got $25,000 extra checks for finishes that weren’t bonus winners. Check out the list below.
Fight of the Night: Regina Tarin, Ernesta Kareckaite ($100,000 each)
Regina Tarin (8-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) didn’t have a UFC deal when she got to Mexico City, the story goes. She simply was hoping someone might fall off the card. It happened, she jumped in for a 130-pound fight instead of flyweight, and beat Ernesta Kareckaite (6-2-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) for a unanimous decision on the prelims.
Performance of the Night: Lone'er Kavanagh ($100,000)
Lone'er Kavanagh (10-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) was coming off a loss, but got the call to head into enemy territory to fight Brandon Moreno (23-10-2 MMA, 11-7-2 UFC) on just three weeks’ notice and didn’t flinch. Kavanagh, who was unranked, dominated the former flyweight champion on Moreno’s home turf, at altitude, for a unanimous decision upset, and should make a huge jump in the UFC’s official rankings.
Performance of the Night: Imanol Rodriguez ($100,000)
Imanol Rodriguez (7-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) went through a major moment in the first round when Kevin Borjas (10-5 MMA, 1-4 UFC) dropped him and appeared to be close to finishing him. But Rodriguez survived, landed a big takedown and got to the second round. There, he hit Borjas with a glancing right hand to the top of the head that took him off his feet, and he put him away quickly after that to make a statement at flyweight.
Finish bonus: King Green ($25,000)
King Green (34-17-1 MMA, 15-12-1 UFC) continues to defy the odds late in his career. The 39-year-old was a heavy underdog against Daniel Zellhuber (15-4 MMA, 3-4 UFC), but he walked the younger Mexican fighter down in front of his home fans, drilled him with heavy punches that took him off his feet, then stayed relentless to get the upset with five seconds left in the middle frame. Zellhuber never had been finished.
Finish bonus: Ryan Gandra ($25,000)
Ryan Gandra (9-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) wasted no time in his UFC debut. He drilled Jose Medina (11-7 MMA, 0-4 UFC) with a right hand, then an elbow that crashed him to the floor. It was clear Medina was briefly out, and though he tried to wrestle the referee afterward and protested the stoppage, replays showed the stoppage was a viable one – in just 41 seconds.
Finish bonus: Javier Reyes ($25,000)
Javier Reyes (23-5 MMA, 1-0 UFC) landed some clean shots early against crafty longtime UFC fighter Douglas Silva de Andrade (29-7 MMA, 7-7 UFC) and was in a bit of a momentum-shifting fight. But when Silva de Andrade let his guard down a little late, Reyes stayed heavy on top and got the finish with just one second left in the opening frame.
Finish bonus: Francis Marshall ($25,000)
Francis Marshall (9-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC) had to get past an early spinning kick from Erik Silva (9-4 MMA, 0-3 UFC), but once he landed a takedown the fight was in his wheelhouse. Marshall locked in a rear-naked choke to get the tap midway through the round.
Finish bonus: Damian Pinas ($25,000)
It’d be hard to imagine a UFC debut going much better than the one for Damian Pinas (9-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC), who knocked Wesley Schultz (8-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) down early in their middleweight fight. When Schultz got back up, Pinas bided his time and then dropped him for some more damage and a TKO halfway through the opening round.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC Mexico bonuses: Only one of the six finishes was a $100K winner