Teashi
24-10-2010, 18:48
ANAHEIM, Calif. – Cain Velasquez, Daniel Roberts, Diego Sanchez and Paulo Thaigo each earned $70,000 "Fight Night" bonuses for their performances at Saturday's "UFC 121: Lesnar vs. Velasquez" event.
Velasquez earned the night's "Knockout of the Night" award, Roberts picked up the "Submission of the Night" bonus, and Sanchez and Thiago shared "Fight of the Night" honors.
MMAjunkie.com (UFC blog for UFC news, UFC rumors, fighter interviews and event previews/recaps | MMAjunkie.com (http://www.mmajunkie.com)) learned of the bonus winners and award amounts while at UFC 121's post-event press conference.
UFC 121 took place at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. Two preliminary card fights aired on Spike TV before the main card was broadcast on pay-per-view.
Velasquez, of course, would probably have been just fine without the extra bonus, but he'll gladly accept the money.
The American Kickboxing Academy prospect was already riding high from his first-round TKO win over Brock Lesnar, in which the Mexican challenger claimed the UFC's heavyweight title. Velasquez halted Lesnar's initial bullrushes and battered his foe with crisp standup and patient attacks on the floor. In the biggest fight of his life, Velasquez walked away a champion and with an extra check for the evening's "Knockout of the Night."
Roberts earned his check on the evening's final un-aired bout. Capitalizing on an early slip from opponent Mike Guymon, Roberts latched on with a choke. He looked first for a guillotine choke, but he adjusted quickly to an anaconda choke, brought the action to the canvas and rolled "Joker" over until he forced the first-round tap just 73 second into the contest.
While Sanchez struggled in his initial return to 170 pounds against John Hathaway, that was not the case against Paulo Thiago. Sanchez did have some initial issues, with the wily Brazilian, but "The Nightmare" returned to vintage form and attacked from top position often while fending off the submission attempts of Thiago. It was Sanchez who would walk away with the unanimous-decision win, but both correctly shared in the evening's "Fight of the Night" bonus.
UFC 121 bonuses: Velasquez, Roberts, Sanchez and Thiago claim $70K bonuses | MMAjunkie.com (http://mmajunkie.com/news/21132/ufc-121-bonuses.mma)
Velasquez earned the night's "Knockout of the Night" award, Roberts picked up the "Submission of the Night" bonus, and Sanchez and Thiago shared "Fight of the Night" honors.
MMAjunkie.com (UFC blog for UFC news, UFC rumors, fighter interviews and event previews/recaps | MMAjunkie.com (http://www.mmajunkie.com)) learned of the bonus winners and award amounts while at UFC 121's post-event press conference.
UFC 121 took place at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. Two preliminary card fights aired on Spike TV before the main card was broadcast on pay-per-view.
Velasquez, of course, would probably have been just fine without the extra bonus, but he'll gladly accept the money.
The American Kickboxing Academy prospect was already riding high from his first-round TKO win over Brock Lesnar, in which the Mexican challenger claimed the UFC's heavyweight title. Velasquez halted Lesnar's initial bullrushes and battered his foe with crisp standup and patient attacks on the floor. In the biggest fight of his life, Velasquez walked away a champion and with an extra check for the evening's "Knockout of the Night."
Roberts earned his check on the evening's final un-aired bout. Capitalizing on an early slip from opponent Mike Guymon, Roberts latched on with a choke. He looked first for a guillotine choke, but he adjusted quickly to an anaconda choke, brought the action to the canvas and rolled "Joker" over until he forced the first-round tap just 73 second into the contest.
While Sanchez struggled in his initial return to 170 pounds against John Hathaway, that was not the case against Paulo Thiago. Sanchez did have some initial issues, with the wily Brazilian, but "The Nightmare" returned to vintage form and attacked from top position often while fending off the submission attempts of Thiago. It was Sanchez who would walk away with the unanimous-decision win, but both correctly shared in the evening's "Fight of the Night" bonus.
UFC 121 bonuses: Velasquez, Roberts, Sanchez and Thiago claim $70K bonuses | MMAjunkie.com (http://mmajunkie.com/news/21132/ufc-121-bonuses.mma)