It didn’t take long for Leon Edwards to fill up his wallet.
The British striker knocked out Seth Baczynski in just eight seconds on the prelims of UFC Fight Night: Cro Cop vs. Gonzaga on Saturday in Krakow, Poland. That was the second quickest knockout in UFC welterweight history and it earned Edwards a Performance of the Night bonus: $50,000.
Also earning a Performance of the Night bonus was Maryna Moroz for her 90-second submission over highly ranked women’s strawweight Joanne Calderwood. It was a huge upset — Moroz was a +550 underdog coming in.
The Fight of the Night went to the main event between Mirko Cro Cop and Gabriel Gonzaga. Cro Cop rallied after losing the first two rounds (and not looking good at all) to finish Gonzaga via TKO at 3:30 of the third. The MMA legend avenged a 2007 knockout loss to Gonzaga with the huge win.
Edwards (9-2) also enjoyed the biggest victory of his career. The England native lost in his UFC debut to Claudio Henrique de Silva last November. That was a tough split decision. The 23-year-old didn’t need the judges this time. He finished things nearly as quick as any other fight in UFC history.
Duane Ludwig currently holds the promotion’s welterweight (and overall) record with a six-second knockout of Jonathan Goulet in 2006. Edwards was just two seconds off and has won six of his last seven, looking like a very promising European prospect.