The UFC returned from an off week with a solid card at UFC Vegas 62 that delivered some notable finishes and a few closely-contested fights.
Even after one of the night’s most anticipated bouts fell through, the event still provided the kind of action that will no doubt leave fans primed for next week’s UFC 280. Two of the best finishes netted Performance of the Night bonuses, while a wild fight ending with a violent comeback took home Fight of the Night honors.
Performance Of The Night Bonuses
One of the hottest prospects at UFC Vegas 62 was Japanese flyweight Tatsuro Taira, and the 22-year-old impressed with his first stoppage win in the UFC.
Facing C.J. Vergara, Taira was able to showcase his grappling skills while also flashing some decent moments on the feet. With time winding down in the second round, Taira used back control to quickly transition to an arm bar that forced a tap from Vergara.
The sixth submission victory of Taira’s career extended his unbeaten record to 12-0 and earned the 22-year-old his first Performance of the Night bonus in the UFC.
The bantamweight debut of longtime UFC veteran Cub Swanson was one of the major storylines heading into UFC Vegas 62, but Jonathan Martinez played spoiler in the night’s co-main event.
Although Swanson looked game throughout the bout, it didn’t take long for Martinez’s pressure to begin wearing on the 38-year-old. A knee late in the first round dropped Swanson, and Martinez probably would have ended the fight with another second or two on the clock.
The leg kicks from “Dragon” ended up being the difference in the second round. Martinez dropped Swanson to a knee several times before a final kick spun the veteran around and left him on the canvas as Herb Dean stepped in.
Martinez took home an extra $50K for the biggest victory of his career and added a violent finish to his current four-fight winning streak.
Fight Of The Night
The bantamweight featured prelim between Mana Martinez and Brandon Davis looked to be an early frontrunner for Fight of the Night, at least until Jordan Wright and Duško Todorović went to war on the event’s main card.
Todorović elected to shoot for a takedown early but was immediately reversed by Wright and ended up on the bottom. “Beverly Hills Ninja” was able to land some big punches on the Serbian and briefly take mount in a round that quite clearly went his way even after a late stand-up from Todorović.
“Thunder” abandoned any thoughts of grappling in the second round and came out swinging hard. Wright managed to land some strikes of his own and even opened Todorović up with an elbow, but the 31-year-old appeared to fade as the round went on. Todorović ended up taking Wright down and immediately move into mount where he rained strikes until the fight was stopped with just under two minutes to go in the round.
Todorović impressed by rallying from a difficult first round to get the victory, and both men earned bonuses for putting on the evening’s Fight of the Night.
What are your thoughts on the bonus winners for UFC Vegas 62?