The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returned to Los Angeles Saturday night (Feb. 28, 2015) with UFC 184, or better known as: The Ronda Rousey Show. After the fights concluded, the UFC awarded four $50,000 bonus checks to four fighters for ‘Performance of the Night’ honors. And without further ado, UFC 184’s bonus award winners were… Ronda Rousey earned Performance of the Night honors for her first round straight-armlock submission of Cat Zingano in the main event of the evening. The finish, officially recorded at 0:14, marked the fastest finish in UFC title fight history. It was yet another impressively dominant performance by Rousey, who continues to make her claim as one of the top pound-for-pound fighter in the sport. Jake Ellenberger earned Performance of the Night honors for his second round north-south choke submission victory over TUF 1 veteran Josh Koscheck. It was an incredible finish by Ellenberger, who left “Kos” foaming at the mouth as he tapped. Scoring his first submission victory in the UFC, it was an impressive way for “The Juggernaut” to snap his three-fight losing skid and return to the win column. Formerly a top-five welterweight, he looks forward to getting back inside the Octagon and getting an opportunity to break back into the division’s rankings. Perhaps a bout against fellow-UFC 184 victor Tim Means would be a solid fit for his next outing. Tony Ferguson earned Performance of the Night honors for his first round rear-naked-choke submission victory over long-time UFC veteran Gleison Tibau. “El Cucuy” hurt the Brazilian early in the first frame, and did not let up, eventually taking the fight to the mat and taking Tibau’s back to sink in the choke and earn the tap. Now, 8-1 inside the Octagon and riding a five-fight winning streak, the TUF 17 winner looks to take on a ranked opponent in his next outing. He is likely to get his wish granted, especially considering he has finished four of the five opponents on his current streak and six of seven in the UFC. He’s been the distance twice in his Octagon career; once in his first UFC defeat where he took on Michael Johnson and went on to lose a unanimous decision on the judges’ scorecards after breaking his hand in the first frame, and last against Danny Castillo, whom he defeated via a very closely-contested split decision. Tim Means earned Performance of the Night honors for his first round knockout of TUF 19 veteran Dhiego Lima. He hurt the Atlanta-based Brazilian early in the first stanza, and when he smelled blood, he turned the volume up and the referee eventually had no choice but to step in and call off the action. Lima showed heart and toughness to remain in the fight, but unfortunately his body did not agree with him and started giving out as punches from “Dirty Bird” kept pouring in. It was a very impressive victory for Means, and his first official T/KO as a UFC welterweight. Other noteworthy performances: – Alan Jouban defeated Richard Walsh via knockout in the very first round of action. It was a very entertaining battle on the feet that lasted only a little over two minutes, until Jouban ultimately put the Australian away against the cage. – Roan Carneiro defeated Mark Munoz via technical rear-naked-choke submission very early in the first stanza. It was a picture-perfect way for the Brazilian to make his Octagon return, and after stepping up to middleweight to extend his winning streak to six in a row, he will go back down to welterweight for his next outing and aim to make it seven.
