UFC 156 bonuses: Aldo vs. Edgar earns fight of night honors

UFC featherweight champion and former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar each collected an additional $50,000 for their efforts Saturday night at UFC 156. The pair claimed Fight of the Night honors for their main event clash, which saw Aldo retain his featherweight title via unanimous decision.

The announcement was made by UFC President Dana White at the post-fight press conference. UFC 156 took place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.

Aldo and Edgar put on a pitched battle for all five rounds in their main event contest. The featherweight champion stormed out to an early lead with sensational takedown defense, a piston jab and devastating leg kicks. Despite his strong performance, however, it was somewhat lopsided and counteracted by the late surge from Edgar. The former lightweight kingpin arguably won both the fourth and fifth rounds using constant pressure and combination striking of his own.

Joining Aldo and Edgar for post-fight awards are Antonio 'Bigfoot' Silva, who stopped Alistair Overeem in third round with a barrage of hard punches against the fence to earn Knockout of the Night. Despite Overeem easily taking the first round and arguably doing enough to take the second frame, he showed significant fatigue as the second round expired. Silva used the opportunity to pounce as the third round began, stopping Overeem with crushing hook after crushing hook at 25 seconds in that frame.

Last, but certainly not least, former Strikeforce lightweight Bobby Green earned Submission of the Night honors for his strong performance against UFC lightweight stalwart Jacob Volkmann. Despite a slow start, the seemingly outmatched Green showed strong takedown defense and even offensive wrestling of his own in the second and third rounds. In the third and final frame, Green took Volkmann's back in a grappling exchange and managed to put away the former All-American from the University of Minnesota with 35 seconds left in the contest with a rear naked choke.

UFC 156 took place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main card aired on pay-per-view, while the preliminary card aired on both FX and Facebook.