Four fighters walked away with $50,000 bonuses in a night filled with finishes at UFC on ESPN 62 on Saturday.
Veteran middleweight contender Jared Cannonier and up-and-coming Brazilian Caio Borralho (17-1) delivered as advertised in the UFC Vegas 96 headliner at The Apex in Las Vegas. While Borralho took the lead in the first round, Cannonier regained some momentum as the fight progressed. Both fighters rocked each other, going toe-to-toe in a barnburner that had many online scorecards tied at two rounds each way going into Round 5. Borralho knocked down Cannonier (17-8) a final time in the last stanza to seal a unanimous decision victory. Both fighters were awarded $50,000 for their “Fight of the Night” performance.
Meanwhile, middleweight veteran Gerald Meerschaert (37-17) received a “Performance of the Night” bonus for his come-from-behind upset of Edmen Shahbazyan (13-5). “GM 3” was dominated by Shahbazyan for the better part of two rounds before he turned the tables by forcing a tap with an arm triangle with less than a minute left in the second period.
Undefeated welterweight prospect Michael Morales (17-0) walked through divisional gatekeeper Neil Magny (29-12) to earn the other POTN bonus. The second biggest betting favorite on the card, Moraes knocked Magny down with a brutal elbow and rained devastating ground-and-pound to secure a stoppage in the final seconds of the opening frame.
