Johny Hendricks, right, reacts after the conclusion of his UFC 158 co-main event against Carlos Condit. – Photo via Facebook.com/UFC
With the Ultimate Fighting Championship standardizing “Fight Night” bonuses at $50,000 for all events all that was left to do following Saturday nights UFC 158: St-Pierre vs. Diaz was to name the recipients.
Earning “Knockout of the Night” was Jake Ellenberger for his first round finish of Nate Marquardt, while co-main event welterweights Johny Hendricks and Carlos Condit walked away with the “Fight of the Night” bonus.
With no submission finish taking place, no “Submission of the Night” bonus was handed out.
UFC 158 took place at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada and drew a reported attendance of 20,145 for a live gate total of $3.71 million. Those totals were greater than the promotions last visit to Montreal this past November at UFC 154 with an attendance of 17,249 for a gate of $3.143 million.
Ellenberger welcomed former Strikeforce champ Nate Marquardt back to the Octagon on the main card of UFC 158. ‘The Juggernaut’ earned his eighteenth (T)KO finish of his pro-career by finishing ‘The Great’ in the first round. Ellenberger landed with a flurry of punches and as Marquardt attempted a single leg to save himself, ended up taking more punches which left him temporarily unconscious. Marquardt would get back to his feet in protest but the replay showed that he was visibly unconscious.
Co-main event welterweights Hendricks and Condit were battling for a No. 1 contender spot. The two battled for three rounds with Hendricks utilizing his wrestling, along with attempts at the ‘one-punch’ finish, to take Condit to the mat. While ‘The American Pyscho’ used his striking to keep things interesting throughout the fifteen minutes. In the end, it was Hendricks wrestling that proved the decision maker with scores of 29-28 across the board.