The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) was back in Fortaleza, Brazil last Saturday (March 11, 2017) for the second time in promotional history with UFC Fight Night 106: Belfort vs. Gastelum, where seven of 12 bouts ended inside the distance. After the event concluded, the UFC awarded $50,000 to four fighters for ‘Performance of the Night’ honors. The lines to wager on these props were available at Several Bookmakers. Kelvin Gastelum earns Performance of the Night honors for his first-round TKO of veteran Vitor Belfort in the co-main event for UFC Fight Night 106 in Fotaleza. The Mexican-American has now won two straight bouts since moving back up to the UFC’s middleweight division, and he is 4-0 overall in the UFC’s 185-pound division. The fight was all Gastelum from the opening bell, as he used solid boxing and head movement to get the better of Belfort on the feet, dropping and hurting “The Phenom” a couple of times before the referee had seen enough. Edson Barboza earns Performance of the Night honors for his second-round knockout of Beneil Dariush in their main card matchup scheduled for three rounds. Dariush got the better of Barboza on the feet in the opening round, but the Brazilian came back strong in the second and capitalized with an incredible knee that put Dariush out cold. It was yet another phenomenal highlight Barboza added to his extensive reel and an early contender for ‘Fight of the Year’ for 2017. The New Jersey-based Brazilian now rides a three fight winning streak at 155 pounds and has his sights set on UFC gold. Michel Prazeres earns Performance of the Night honors for his first-round north-south choke submission of The Ultimate Fighter Season 2 veteran Josh Burkman, making it four straight wins for himself and earning his first Octagon finish, which he set a goal to do heading into the lightweight contest. “Trator” initially hurt Burkman on the feet with his heavy hands before the fight hit the mat, and when it did, it was only a matter of time until the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt sunk in the choke to earn the tap from the veteran. An outstanding performance by Prazeres, who continues to climb up the ranks of the UFC’s 155-pound division and will likely draw ranked opposition his next time out. Paulo Costa earns Performance of the Night honors for his first-round TKO of South African middleweight Garreth McLellan, keeping his undefeated record intact in his UFC debut. It was a picture-perfect Octagon debut by the Brazilian, who has finished all nine of his opponents in the opening round. “Borrachinha” plans to make waves in the UFC’s 185-pound division, and fight fans look forward to his next outing inside the Octagon. Other noteworthy performances: – Mauricio “Shogun” Rua defeated Gian Villante via second-round TKO in a highly entertaining back-and-forth battle in the evening’s co-main event. The Brazilian now rides a three-fight winning streak. – Alex “Cowboy” Oliveira defeated Tim Means via second-round rear-naked choke submission in this immediate rematch following a controversial No-Contest in their first meeting. – Kevin Lee defeated Francisco Trinaldo via second-round rear-naked choke submission after getting hurt early and losing the first round. It was a solid win for Lee, who now enjoys a four-fight winning streak at 155 pounds.
