It was an old-school bonus night at UFC 172 on Saturday night, as the winners went out for best fight, a submission, and a knockout.
Takanori Gomi and Isaac Vallie-Flagg both pocketed an extra $50,000 apiece for their exciting, back-and-forth battle. In a 15-minute slugfest, Vallie-Flagg got the best of things in the first round. But Gomi, the longtime PRIDE lightweight champion, rallied over the final two rounds to win a unanimous decision. The pair took Fight of the Night honors.
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Veteran Joseph Benavidez also took home an extra $50K. Benavidez finished off a whirlwind four minutes against Tim Elliott with a guillotine choke. Elliott had to tap with his feet since Benavidez had him in such a manner that Elliott’s arms were both trapped. That earned Benavidez a Performance of the Night award.
And last but not least, Chris Beal took the evening’s other Performance of the Night award. Making his UFC debut, Beal got the night started with a spectacular, video-game like flying knee finish of Patrick Williams. That earned him the other $50,000 bonus.