UFC Rochester bonuses: Michel Pereira, Grant Dawson earn big with violent finishes

All eyes were on Michel Pereira when he made the walk to Octagon for his debut at UFC Rochester. With tears streaming from his eyes, Pereira, who rose to prominence for his viral performances on the regional circuit, readied for war against the veteran Danny Roberts.

But a little under two minutes into the scrap, fans witnessed Pereira uncork a hellacious flying knee to the jaw of Roberts. With his opponent reeling, the 25-year-old Brazilian plastered a lightning quick one-two combination to Roberts jaw, sending him tumbling to the canvas. Realizing his opponent was out, Pereira raised his hands and cashed in on his first Performance of the Night bonus.

UFC officials also awarded Grant Dawson an extra $50,000 for his second-round submission win over The Ultimate Fighter 27 winner Mike Trizano. The performance not only extended his win streak to five straight but also marked his 10th career submission win.

Rounding out the bonuses, a pair of female bantamweights — Aspen Ladd and Sijara Eubanks — left the Blue Cross Arena a little richer for their three-round war on the preliminary card. The performance not only kept Ladd’s perfect record intact but was enough to earn her first Fight of the Night and second bonus overall. Eubanks, on the other hand, dropped back to the loss column while earning her first bonus of any kind.