It was a night for stellar showings at UFC Fight Night 144, and appropriately, four competitors received “Performance of the Night” bonuses for their work.
Marlon Moraes received a $50,000 bonus for his first-round submission of fellow bantamweight contender Raphael Assuncao in the evening’s main event at Centro de Formacao Olimpica in Fortaleza, Brazil, on Saturday. Moraes rocked and dropped his foe with a pair of overhand rights before securing a mounted guillotine choke for the tapout 3:17 into the opening stanza.
Meanwhile, Jose Aldo received a $50,000 check for a thrilling second-round TKO of Renato Carneiro in the featherweight co-main event.