Derek Brunson can consider himself unlucky to be walking away from the UFC Vegas 36 main event without some extra money in his pocket. The 36-year-old put on a dominant display and ultimately stopped Darren ‘The Gorilla’ Till inside three rounds to establish himself as a true contender at middleweight. Away from the main attraction UFC Vegas 36 delivered plenty of standout moments and performances worthy of bonuses.
Tom Aspinall
The 28-year-old had a much better night at the office than his Kaobon teammate, Till. Aspinall put on a dominant performance and was able to get a surprise first-round finish over the usually tough Sergey Spivak. An elbow sent Spivac tumbling to the mat and Aspinall expertly followed up to make it four wins in a row since joining the UFC roster.
Paddy Pimblett
The former Cage Warriors featherweight champion delivered big time in his UFC debut. Pimblett got caught flush early by Luigi Verandermini but showed heart to work his way back into the fight very quickly. ‘The Baddy’ ultimately caught his opponent with a right hand before pursuing the finish with a barrage of punches. Pimblett landed several flush before the Brazilian fell unconscious to the canvas.
Molly McCann and Ji Yeon Kim
In the featured prelim Pimblett’s teammate, Molly McCann appeared to be fighting for her UFC future. The Scouse flyweight was making the final walk of her current UFC contract and was riding a two-fight losing streak into the bout. McCann fought like everything was on the line and ultimately walked away with a unanimous decision win after three rounds of hunting down her opponent. Kim played her part in what turned out to be a great fight. Both women walk away $50,000 richer.
Do you think the right people got bonus money at UFC Vegas 36?