Michelle Waterson earned an extra $50,000 for choking out Paige VanZant at UFC on FOX 22. The UFC announced the Fight Night bonus winners following the event.
Waterson delivered an impressive performance, defeating the 22-year-old prospect via a first-round rear-naked choke in the main event of Saturday’s UFC card in Sacramento, Calif. That victory was impressive enough to get the ‘Karate Hottie’ a Performance of the Night bonus. With this win, the former Invicta FC atomweight champion is now 2-0 in the UFC, and 14-4 as a professional MMA fighter.
The other $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus was given to UFC newcomer Paul Craig. The Scottish fighter had a successful UFC debut, defeating then undefeated fighter Luis Henrique Da Silva. Craig won the bout at the 1:59 mark of round two with an arm-bar to remain undefeated in his MMA career.
Additionally, bantamweights Leslie Smith and Irene Aldana also took $50,000 each in Fight of the Night award.
The two fighters battled to a decision, and it was an action-packed fight that had Smith winning in the end. With this performance, Smith bounced back from her loss to Cris Cyborg back in May at UFC 198, while Mexico’s Aldana lost her promotional debut and snapped a two-fight winning streak.