UFC 273 bonuses: Khamzat Chimaev vs. Gilbert Burns a no-brainer Fight of Night
The UFC handed out four post-fight bonuses after Saturday’s card, including for an early Fight of the Year candidate.
After UFC 273, four fighters picked up an extra $50,000 for their performances in Jacksonville, Fla. Three others, chosen by fans, were given bonuses in Bitcoin. Check out the winners below.
Performance of the Night: Aleksei Oleinik
Aleksei Oleinik (60-16-1 MMA, 9-7 UFC) pulled off another comeback submission win for his resume when he tapped Jared Vanderaa (12-8 MMA, 1-4 UFC) with a first-round neck crank. Vanderaa went to the canvas with Oleinik, which may have been a bit of a surprise. He appeared to have Oleinik in trouble with submission attempts of his own, but Oleinik turned the tables and picked up the 47th submission finish of his career.
Performance of the Night: Alexander Volkanovski
Alexander Volkanovski (24-1 MMA, 11-0 UFC) put on a clinic with his latest featherweight title defense, a fourth-round TKO of “The Korean Zombie,” Chan Sung Jung (17-7 MMA, 7-4 UFC), in the main event. Volkanovski was the biggest favorite on the card, and it showed. He battered Jung through the first three rounds. After a doctor checked on the “Zombie” before the fourth, the end was near. Volkanovski kept the pressure on and landed enough punches on the feet to get Herb Dean to stop it.
Fight of the Night: Khamzat Chimaev vs. Gilbert Burns
Khamzat Chimaev (11-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) was a massive favorite against Gilbert Burns (20-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC), but Burns gave him everything he could handle and then some. Chimaev came into the fight having absorbed just one significant strike in his four UFC wins. But Burns changed that quickly and hit Chimaev with punches early. And though Chimaev seemed to stay in control in the first round, Burns came alive in the second and hit Chimaev with some punches the likes of which he probably had never been hit with before. But in the third, Chimaev took over again and had Burns bloodied and battered. And though Burns seemed to be just trying to survive in the final frame, Chimaev never was able to put him away in a grueling barnburner. And late in the round, Burns threw big bombs that could’ve put Chimaev away if they landed right.
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