UFC Fight Night Bonuses: Mendes, Pena, Poirier, Johnson Pocket $50K Awards
Chad
Mendes cashed in with a first-round finish on Saturday. | Photo:
Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com
Chad Mendes didn’t need to work overtime to dispatch Ricardo Lamas, but he was nonetheless handsomely compensated for his efforts.
The Team Alpha Male product earned a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus for his thrashing of Lamas in the UFC Fight Night headliner at Patriot Center in Fairfax, Va., on Saturday afternoon. Mendes showcased his tremendous power by dropping “The Bully” with a right hand to the forehead early on, and the rout continued from there. Mendes patiently punished his reeling foe and put the final nails in the coffin from back mount 2:45 into the first round.
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Pena earned $50,000 for her rousing return following more than a year-long layoff due to a serious knee injury. “The Ultimate Fighter 18” winner dominated bantamweight clash with Milana Dudieva, landing a takedown and unleashing a barrage of hammerfists, elbows and punches to earn a TKO stoppage 3:59 into the opening stanza.
Meanwhile, Poirier’s first bout at 155 pounds since 2010 proved to be profitable, as he pocketed a $50,000 award for his first-round knockout of Carlos Diego Ferreira. “The Diamond,” who posted an 8-3 mark during an extended stint at featherweight, dropped his Brazilian foe twice in the abbreviated contest before sealing the triumph with a left hand from the standing position at the 3:45 mark of the frame.
Finally, Johnson made his Octagon debut a memorable, as he defeated fellow newcomer Shamil Abdurahimov with a flurry of ground-and-pound from mount 4:57 into round one in a heavyweight duel.
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