It was billed as one of the the biggest nights in women’s MMA history. And it ended up being a pretty lucrative one for UFC bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey.
Not only did Rousey turn in another dominant performance in finishing Cat Zingano in 14 seconds (armbar), but it was announced afterwards that she was one of four UFC 184 competitors to take home a $50,000 performance of the night bonus.
The others to receive the bonus were Jake Ellenberger, who choked out veteran Josh Koscheck; Tim Means, who scored a first round TKO victory over Dhiego Lima; and Tony Ferguson, who had a breakout performance against stalwart Gleison Tibau.
Each received $50,000.
But the night belonged to Rousey, whom UFC president Dana White said in the post-fight press conference was a “female version of Mike Tyson.” Not only did Rousey headline a major pay-per-view in Los Angeles, but White said that the gate did almost $3 million, with 17,654 people in attendance.
Zingano was largely believed to be Rousey’s toughest opponent to date. Known typically as a slow starter, Zingano attacked Rousey early, and, after a throw, ended up with her arm being hyperextended just moments after the opening bell.
Combined with her title defense against Alexis Davis, Rousey has now finished her last two opponents in a total of 30 seconds.