The UFC handed out four post-fight bonuses on Saturday night in New York, and all of them went to fighters who delivered highlight-reel knockout finishes. Following UFC 322 at Madison Square Garden, four athletes earned an extra $50,000 for their standout performances.
Performance of the Night: Bo Nickal
Bo Nickal (8-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) rebounded from the first loss of his professional career with a knockout win over Rodolfo Vieira (11-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) in the featured preliminary bout. For ten minutes Nickal controlled the action, and in the final round he delivered a brutal head kick that shut the lights out and capped off the preliminary card in emphatic fashion.
Performance of the Night: Benoit Saint Denis
Benoit Saint Denis (16-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) wasted no time on the main card, stopping Beneil Dariush (23-7-1 MMA, 17-7-1 UFC) in just 16 seconds. With Dariush missing weight, Saint Denis also pocketed an additional 20 percent of his opponent’s purse. The lightning-fast finish marked the quickest win of Saint Denis’ career and the fastest loss of Dariush’s long tenure.
Performance of the Night: Carlos Prates
Carlos Prates (23-7 MMA, 6-1 UFC) stunned former welterweight champion Leon Edwards (22-6 MMA, 14-5 UFC) with a knockout in the second round, the first time Edwards has ever been stopped by strikes. The victory marked Prates’ sixth UFC win, each accompanied by a bonus, and he used the moment to call for a shot at the welterweight title.
Performance of the Night: Michael Morales
Michael Morales (19-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) followed up Prates's knockout with one of his own. The Ecuadorian starched Sean Brady (18-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC) in the first round to remain undefeated. With momentum building and the division shifting around new champion Islam Makhachev, Morales may now be the emerging contender with the clearest path to a future title opportunity.
