The UFC handed out four bonuses after Saturday’s card in Azerbaijan, including one for one of the rarest submissions in MMA.
After UFC Fight Night 280, four fighters picked up an extra $100,000 for their performances at National Gymnastics Arena in Baku. Additionally, five fighters got $25,000 extra checks for finishes that weren’t bonus-winners.
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Check out the list of winners below.
Performance of the Night: Rafael Fiziev ($100,000)
Rafael Fiziev (14-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) may have thought that the key to beating Manuel Torres (17-4 MMA, 5-2 UFC) was to get him out of the first round – a spot he hadn’t been in for nearly eight years. Fiziev seemed to have Torres slightly on the ropes late in the first, and when it went to the second in the main event, Fiziev only needed 15 seconds into the round to set his home fans through the roof and a knockout win.
Performance of the Night: Asu Almabayev ($100,000)
Asu Almabayev (24-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) was on his way to a decision over Charles Johnson (19-9 MMA, 8-6 UFC), but he stayed after a finish late and found himself in range of one of the rarest of the rare: the Suloev stretch. He managed to cinch it in for just the fourth such finish in UFC history.
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Performance of the Night: Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev ($100,000)
Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev (10-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) was the heaviest favorite on the cad, and showed why when he landed a right hand flush to the chin of Julius Walker (7-3 MMA, 1-3 UFC) just four seconds into their fight. And four seconds later, Walker was done for an 8-second KO, one of the fastest in UFC history.
Performance of the Night: Daniil Donchenko ($100,000)
Daniil Donchenko (14-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC) kept his prospect status on high alert when he drilled Theodor Berggren (8-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) with a head kick in the second round. Even though Berggren got his right arm up to guard it, it still took him off his feet. Donchenko immediately capitalized and pounded him out just 95 seconds into the fight.
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Finish bonus: Matheus Camilo ($25,000)
Matheus Camilo (11-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC) stunned the crowd in Azerbaijan with a first-round TKO of home favorite Nazim Sadykhov (11-3-1 MMA, 4-2-1 UFC). Early in the opening round, a stiff right hand dropped Sadykhov, and Camilo immediately pounced with a few quick hammer fists while Sadykhov covered up. The stoppage came in 91 seconds and caused protests from Sadykhov, who said he was fine and defending.
Finish bonus: Abus Magomedov ($25,000)
Abus Magomedov (29-7-1 MMA, 5-3 UFC) clipped Michal Oleksiejczuk (22-10 MMA, 10-8 UFC) with a right elbow to the chin in tight quarters. Oleksiejczuk fell, and Magomedov jumped on him and locked in a guillotine choke that put the Polish big man to sleep just as he was tapping.
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Finish bonus: Nursulton Ruziboev ($25,000)
Nursulton Ruziboev (37-9-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) looked brilliant when he put Andrey Pulyaev (10-5 MMA, 1-3 UFC) to sleep with a rear-naked choke. After a brief exchange on the feet, a Ruziboev takedown got him to Pulyaev’s back, and the RNC was in moments later with Pulyaev refusing to tap.
Finish bonus: Kaan Ofli ($25,000)
Kaan Ofli (14-4-1 MMA, 3-2 UFC) dropped Javier Reyes (23-6 MMA, 1-1 UFC) in the opening round, and in a ground-and-pound scramble, Ofli turned the tables and transitioned for an arm-triangle choke and a mild upset.
Finish bonus: Tahir Abdullayev ($25,000)
Tahir Abdullayev (22-3 MMA, 1-0 UFC) had a performance mostly to forget against fellow debutant Jefferson Nascimento (13-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC), but he got a ground-and-pound finish down the stretch that seemed to be nearly a gift from the referee instead of letting the clock tick away on a ho-hum decision.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC Baku bonuses: Great hair, 8-second KO, rare sub, home magic
