Following Saturday’s UFC 332 event, the promotion announced the fighters who earned post-fight bonuses after a night packed with thrilling finishes.
Here are the bonus recipients from UFC 332:
Performance of the Night ($100,000 awarded to each fighter):
Roman Kopylov: In the middleweight opener of the main card, Kopylov delivered a stunning first-round knockout against Ateba Gautier. Despite being a notable underdog, Kopylov secured one of the most impressive wins of his career with a powerful finish.
Imanol Rodriguez: At flyweight, Rodriguez executed a first-round knockout over Alden Coria with a devastating body kick. He started aggressively and landed a sharp front kick that dropped Coria, who was then quickly finished with follow-up strikes.
Damian Pinas: Also competing at middleweight, Pinas secured a first-round victory by knocking out Andrey Pulyaev with a crushing uppercut. Now undefeated at 3-0 in the UFC, Pinas is rapidly rising through the ranks, recognized for his formidable striking power.
Johnny Walker: Making his heavyweight debut, Walker stunned Mick Parkin with a fierce knee strike from the clinch in the first round. The knockout was one of the most brutal knee finishes seen in recent memory.
Finish Bonus ($25,000 awarded to each fighter): Payton Talbott, Marcus McGhee, Jacobe Smith, Alexander Hernandez, Eric Nolan
In the bantamweight co-main event, Talbott achieved a first-round knockout over Deiveson Figueiredo, marking the most significant victory of his UFC tenure. The fight unfolded as expected, with Talbott dominating decisively.
Featherweight Marcus McGhee ended Anthony Romero’s UFC debut in under five minutes with a clear display of superiority.
At heavyweight, Anthony Wint opened the main card by stopping Lucas Armand in just 23 seconds with heavy strikes. Post-fight, Wint called out Sean Sharaf for a future bout at UFC 334.
Welterweight Jacobe Smith efficiently dispatched Bruce Whitehead in the first round. Despite Whitehead suffering a severe groin injury, he continued until Smith took him down and overwhelmed him with ground strikes.
Lightweight Alexander Hernandez knocked out Rafael dos Anjos in the second round. Dos Anjos, at 41 years old and returning from a two-year hiatus, showed promise early but was ultimately stopped after Hernandez landed multiple knockdowns.
Eric Nolan concluded the night by knocking out Court McGee in their welterweight bout’s third round. McGee, who had announced this fight as his retirement bout, fought hard but was caught with a decisive knockout punch.
Notably, Esteban Ribovics also secured a first-round knockout of King Green in a lightweight contest, dropping his opponent three times before referee Herb Dean halted the fight. However, since Ribovics missed weight, he was disqualified from receiving a bonus.
This report was originally published on HEAVY.
Fan Take: The impressive variety of finishes at UFC 332 highlights the depth of talent and unpredictability in the sport, proving why fans remain captivated. With emerging contenders like Kopylov and Pinas making statement wins, the future of UFC’s middleweight and heavyweight divisions looks especially thrilling.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
