Photo by Nick Laham/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Saturday’s UFC 143: Diaz vs. Condit event saw four fighters awarded with “Fight Night” bonuses of $65,000 for their work in the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Earning “Knockout of the Night” was newcomer Stephen Thompson, while Dustin Poirier won the “Submission of the Night” bonus, while “Fight of the Night” went to heavyweights Fabricio Werdum and Roy ‘Big Country’ Nelson.
The event also drew a reported attendance of 10,040 fans into the venue for a live gate total of $2.3 million.
Thompson, a former 57-0 pro kickboxer, opened the event with a knockout kick to the head of opponent Dan Stittgen at 4:13 of the first round. ‘Wonderboy’ threw what appeared to be a low kick, and as Stittgen dropped his arm to block it, Thompson’s changed the height of the kick to land flush across the chin of his opponent. Stittgen was out before he hit the mat.
Poirier put in a dominant performance over opponent Max Holloway by using a combination of submission attempts to tap out his opponent at 3:23 of the first. ‘Diamond’ managed to gain an armbar submission on Hollaway, but was unable to force the tap and then rolled into a triangle choke/armbar submission in top position to get the finish. Hollaway replaced an injured Ricardo Lamas and debuted versus Poirier.
Werdum made a very successful Octagon return by showcasing a much improved standup game by outstriking Nelson throughout all three rounds of their bout. The Brazilian would land several big knees in the first round to ‘Big Country’s’ face, cutting the former “TUF 10″ winner open. Nelson would gut it out but it wasn’t enough as Werdum earned his first UFC win after a three year absence with Strikeforce.