UFC 162 bonuses: Chris Weidman's knockout of Anderson Silva earns him extra $50,000

It was an historic night in mixed martial arts and UFC history. It was also an incredibly lucrative one for new UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman. Not only did he capture one of the most prized titles in MMA history, he pocketed an extra $50,000 by stopping Anderson Silva within two rounds in the main event at UFC 162.

Weidman, 29, secured the win in what can only be described as a bizarre if monumental fight. In the first round, Silva was taken to the ground immediately. Weidman eventually attempted a kneebar and a heel hook, but wasn't able to secure it. Towards the latter stage of the frame, he began to egg Weidman on, begging his opponent to hit him. In the second frame, Silva picked up where he left off, almost pleading with Weidman to hit him while he hands hung below his waist. Weidman, staying patient, continued to land on an open Silva until finally a left hook landed flush on Silva's jaw sending the all-time great crashing to the mat. Weidman followed up with a few strikes before referee Herb Dean was forced to halt the action. The end came officially at 1:18 of the second round.

The Long Island, New York-native moves to 10-0 in professional MMA. Silva, 38, slides to 33-5.

There were no submission victories at UFC 162, but there was plenty of respectable action. As a consequence, two bouts earned Fight of the Night honors: Cub Swanson vs. Dennis Siver and Frankie Edgar vs. Charles Oliveira. All four fighters each claimed $50,000 for their efforts.

In the co-main event of the evening, former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar, 31, had a very competitive featherweight bout with Charles Oliveira, 23. Over three rounds, Edgar was able to employ some of his outside boxing, but had to consistently respond to Oliveira's knees from the clinch as well as respectable control within the position. As the fight went longer, however, Edgar was able to land more, while controlling the tempo of offense no matter where the fight took place. He was even able to hurt Oliveira noticeably in the first and third frames. Edgar ultimately scored a unanimous decision victory, earning scorecards of 30-27, 29-28 and 30-27.

Edgar's record improves to 16-4-1 while Oliveira moves to 16-4 and one no-contest.

In the night's opening main card bout on pay-per-view, featherweights Cub Swanson, 29, and Dennis Siver, 34, engaged in a spirited back and forth that saw both men gain the upperhand at points. Siver started strong in the first, keeping Swanson at range with kicks. He eventually secured a takedown and spent almost three minutes on top controlling the WEC veteran. As the bout wore on, however, Swanson began to take over both by demonstrating superior cardiovascular fitness and in using his unpredictable striking style. By the third round, Swanson had Siver on the proverbial ropes and landed a barrage of strikes that had Siver falling almost face first to the mat. Some follow-up from the Greg Jackson-product ended the bout with the official referee stoppage coming at 2:24 of the third frame.

Siver slides to 21-9 while Swanson's MMA record improves to 20-5.

UFC 162 took place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.