UFC Fight Night 39 invaded Abu Dhabi with a main card filled with exciting, noteworthy performances, and the UFC brass recognized this excellence in doling out the Fight Night bonuses.
To the surprise of nobody, Clay Guida and Tatsuya Kawajiri will take home Fight of the Night honors and $50,000 for their three-round, back-and-forth, fun-filled co-main event. This fight featured a little bit of everything from both men, but Guida emerged the victor due to his vastly improved striking and all-around polished game.
Guida turned in his finest performance at featherweight to date, and his wallet appreciates the hard work.
Ramsey Nijem and Roy Nelson will each take home $50,000 as well for their first-round finishes at the event.
Nelson starched heavyweight legend Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira with a vicious right hand in Friday night’s main event, while Nijem battered and bloodied the previously undefeated Beneil Dariush en route to a first-round finish of his own.
Both men impressed with their ferocity and power on the evening, and the UFC has rewarded them handsomely for their efforts in bringing the crowd to its feet.
For fans of statistics, Guida‘s post-fight bonus marks his ninth in his UFC career.
“The Carpenter” has earned Fight of the Night honors six times and Submission of the Night three times since entering the UFC in October 2006. However, this Fight of the Night over Kawajiri marks Guida‘s first post-fight award as a featherweight, which is a nice sign for the Greg Jackson product moving forward with his career at 145 pounds.
Prior to knocking out Nogueira in the night’s main event, Nelson had earned Knockout of the Night honors three times in his UFC career. While this post-fight bonus technically stands as a “Performance of the Night,” it is safe to say Nelson definitively earned his fourth Knockout of the Night in Abu Dhabi thanks to his sledgehammer of a right hand.
Recap
Fight of the Night: Clay Guida and Tatsuya Kawajiri
Performances of the Night: Roy Nelson, Ramsey Nijem
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