UFC 142: Aldo vs. Mendes Fight Night Bonuses
UFC 142 was filled with equal parts decisions, knockouts and submissions that made picking the Fight Night bonuses a little more difficult than normal. Take away the questionable disqualification Erick Silva that gave Carlo Prater the win there were there decisions, (T)KO’s and submissions.
Each winner of the Fight Night bonus received $65,000 in addition to their salary.
Fight of the Night: Edson Barboza vs. Terry Etim
The two lightweight battled back and forth for almost three rounds before the abrupt ending. Etim scored some early takedowns as Barboza was getting the better of the standup. Until the finish the fight wasn’t a real standout but it was enough to garner the fight of the night.
Knock out of the Night: Edson Barboza
On a night where the champion and main event winner knocks out the challenger with a first round knee you’d think it would earn the KO of the night but Barboza one upped that with a spinning heel kick knockout of Terry Etim. According to the UFC it was the first ever spinning heel kick finish in the UFC, not to mention the current favorite for knockout of the year.
“In a fight, you try things and hope they work. Tonight, it (the kick) worked. It’s something I’ve practiced a lot and I finally was able to land it hard,” explained Barboza.
Submission of the Night: Rousimar Palhares
When Rousimar Palhares grabs a hold of your leg you tend to start tapping and that exactly what Mike Massenzio did just 63 seconds into their main card fight. The Brazilian pulled guard and latched onto Massenzio’s leg and before too long Palhares had another opponent grimacing in pain while feverishly tapping out.
“I like submissions and I got another one tonight,” said Palhares after the win
Click here for complete results from tonight UFC 142: Aldo vs. Mendes.