Check out which fighters won performance bonuses from UFC Fight Night: Blachowicz vs. Santos.
The O2 Arena in Prague, Czech Republic was home to a decent afternoon of fights. The card saw four (T)KOs, three submissions, and six unanimous decisions.
Performances of the Night:
Thiago Santos once again showed why his nickname is perfectly suited to him. “Merreta,” which means sledgehammer in Portuguese, spent the first round getting a feel for Jan Blachowicz, and the second trading hard shots and kicks, but the third round was where things took a sharp turn. Santos caught Blachowicz with a huge counter left that dropped the Pole, then followed him down, raining hammerfists until the referee called a halt to the action. Santos gets the win and a $50,000 bonus for his effort.
Stefan Struve was a man on a mission today, and nothing was going to stop him from getting his arm raised, not even a monstrous overhand that put him on the canvas just seconds into the fight. Marcos Rogerio de Lima controlled the entirety of the first round, keeping Struve pinned to the canvas and teeing off on him with shots from all angles. The second round would see Struve turn the tables, though. He tripped MRDL, set up the arm triangle, and forced the tap from mount. During the post-fight interview, Stefan said there was a very good possibility that this was his last fight, then left his gloves in the center of the octagon. Struve gets the submission win and a $50,000 bonus for his excellent reversal of fortune.
Michal Oleksiejczuk made short work of Gian Villante, taking just 94 seconds to finish the longtime Serra-Longo team member. The two traded for a few brief moments before Oleksiejczuk blasted Villante’s liver with a shot that would’ve made Bas Rutten weep. Villante had the split-second delayed reaction, then dropped to the canvas with the Pole following him down to finish the fight. Oleksiejczuk gets the win and a $50,000 bonus for his short work.
Dwight Grant scored a buzzer-beater finish over Carlo Pedersoli after an entertaining scrap that saw the two exchanging punches and body kicks, but despite Pedersoli’s best efforts, he just couldn’t get the fight where he wanted it, on the ground. In the final seconds of the round, Grant landed an overhand right that sent Pedersoli’s mouthpiece sailing and put him on the canvas. Grant was all over him before referee Marc Goddard stopped the fight. Grant gets the victory and a $50,000 bonus for his thrilling stoppage.
Fight of the Night: None
Despite putting on a great scrap, Petr Yan vs. John Dodson weren’t awarded FOTN.