UFC Vegas 26 bonuses: Alex Morono wins $50k for TKO of Donald Cerrone

A short-notice fight paid off big at UFC Vegas 26 for welterweight veteran Alex Morono, who picked up a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus for a win over Donald Cerrone.

Morono stopped Cerrone via TKO in the co-headliner of Saturday’s fight card at UFC APEX in Las Vegas. He stepped up to face the octagon vet on short notice after Cerrone’s originally scheduled opponent, Diego Sanchez, was removed from the fight.

The two other fights that ended in finishes also were awarded bonuses, though not all of the fighters involved were eligible to collect. “Fight of the Night” honors went to Gregor Gillespie and Diego Ferreira, who engaged in a wild back-and-forth affair that initially tilted toward Ferreira before Gillespie took over and earned a second-round TKO. Gillespie was awarded a $50,000 bonuses, but Ferreira was not because he missed weight for the fight.

And in the UFC Vegas 26 opener, Carlston Harris pulled off a rarely-seen Anaconda choke, putting Christian Aguilera to sleep in the first round.

UFC Vegas 26 was headlined by a flyweight meeting between Marina Rodriguez and Michelle Waterson, who went five rounds in a short-notice headliner. Rodriguez captured a unanimous decision with a superior striking attack against Waterson.