At UFC on Fox 9, flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson and Joseph Benavidez met in a rematch of a UFC 152 bout that ended in a controversial decision. This time around, “Mighty Mouse” left no question.
Only two minutes in, Johnson blasted Benavidez with a right hook and left the Team Alpha Male fighter out cold on the canvas.
In stopping his title challenger, the 125-pound king scored some serious bonus cash. Competing in the main event and recording one of only two knockouts on Saturday, Johnson took Knockout of the Night honors without much competition. Here is a look at all the UFC on Fox 9 performance bonus winners.
Fight of the Night
Winner: Edson Barboza vs. Danny Castillo
With so many fights going to decisions on Saturday, competition was stiff for Fight of the Night at UFC on Fox 9.
However, UFC officials made the right call in handing Edson Barboza and Danny Castillo bonus checks for their back-and-forth fight on the Fox Sports 1 prelims. That bout saw Castillo nearly shock Barboza with a knockout in the first round, but the Brazilian survived and battled back with more technical striking over the second and third rounds to earn a decision victory.
Among other bouts, a fight between Bobby Green and Pat Healy could have won a Fight of the Night bonus on other fight cards. However, it wasn’t quite as competitive as the matchup between Barboza and Castillo, which many MMA media members thought was a battle to a draw, per MMADecisions.com.
Knockout of the Night
Winner: Demetrious Johnson
Heading into the main event, Abel Trujillo was probably feeling pretty good about his chances of walking away from UFC on Fox 9 with a Knockout of the Night bonus. If he was worried, Trujillo was likely more concerned about Benavidez getting a stoppage than Johnson.
Instead, “Mighty Mouse” shocked everyone with a brutal finish.
While Trujillo’s finish came from a barrage of strikes to Roger Bowling, Johnson knocked Benavidez unconscious with a single right hand. Not only was Johnson’s knockout more devastating, but it also came in a exponentially more important contest.
Submission of the Night
Winner: Urijah Faber
He was the only fighter to score a submission at UFC on Fox 9, but Urijah Faber’s Submission of the Night bonus was well-deserved.
Early on, Faber was getting it done with takedowns and boxing against Michael McDonald. However, after rocking his 22-year-old opponent in the second round, “The California Kid” latched onto a guillotine choke and forced a tap.
The win marked Faber’s 17th career submission. Eight fights into his UFC career, the Team Alpha Male leader has now had two Submission of the Night performances inside the Octagon.
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