Four $50,000 Performance of the Night bonuses were handed out after Saturday’s event at UFC APEX in Las Vegas, with welterweight champion Kamaru Usman leading the pack. Usman authored the third consecutive successful defense of his title with a third-round TKO of former training partner Gilbert Burns. The victory gave Usman the record for most consecutive wins by a welterweight in UFC history, breaking a tie with the legendary Georges St-Pierre.
Also receiving bonuses for finishing their fights are Anthony Hernandez, Julian Marquez, and Polyana Viana. Each of those winners were responsible for their own share of drama at UFC 258.
Hernandez pulled off one of the night’s biggest upsets, outlasting multiple-time ADCC grappling champion Rodolfo Vieira in a frantic first round before hurting him badly on the feet and catching him with a guillotine choke in round two. It was the first-ever loss for Vieira in eight pro MMA outings.
Saturday’s event featured Marquez’s first fight since July 2018. Injuries and a recent bout cancellation kept Marquez on the shelf and it looked like he would have to wait even longer to secure his second UFC win, but he rallied in the third round to submit Maki Pitolo with an anaconda choke with just 33 seconds remaining in the fight.
Viana’s win over Mallory Martin wasn’t as much of a roller-coaster, but the Brazilian did get to show off her submission expertise with a gorgeous armbar submission after transitioning from a triangle choke attempt.
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