The Ultimate Fighting Championship was live from Norfolk, Virginia on Saturday, November 11.It was an entertaining card with a memorable main event that saw Dustin Poirier earn the biggest win of his career. When the action concluded, the promotion handed out $200,000 in bonus checks to four fighters for ‘Performance of the Night’ honors. The betting lines to wager on such props were made available at Several Bookmakers.
UFC 217 Bonuses went to…
Anthony Pettis and Dustin Poirier earn Performances of the Night (formerly, Fight of the Night)
In what was anticipated as an action-packed main event did not disappoint as Anthony Pettis and Dustin Poirier put on an entertaining show. Poirier cut Pettis towards the end of the first round, making it very difficult to see. As the blood effected Pettis’ vision, he still attempted multiple submission attempts throughout the bout and nearly had Poirier wrapped up towards the end of the second round. In the third round, Poirier got an early takedown and had Pettis trapped in a body lock that ultimately caused Pettis to tap as he had a rib injury ending a great bout and the best fight of the night.
Matt Brown earns Performance of the Night (formerly, Knockout of the Night)
In front of his wife and children, Matt Brown landed one of the better elbow strikes one will ever see as he floored Diego Sanchez in the first round to win by stoppage. Brown had mentioned the idea of retirement in the lead up to the fight, but after a win like he had at UFN 120 it will be hard for him to hang up the gloves. Brown is one of the most entertaining fighters in the welterweight division and has shown he can still put on great matchups for the fans. He’s not the same level of fighter he was three years ago, but he’s still more than serviceable in the UFC.
Other performance-winning knockout(s): Raphael Assuncao earned Performance of the Night with his best all-around performance in the Octagon as he knocked out Matthew Lopez in the third round. Assuncao is now 10-2 in the UFC and has proven he can compete with the division’s best. Considering he has already beaten TJ Dillashaw, the UFC could setup a title fight at some point in 2018 as a rubber match between the two fighters.
Other noteworthy result(s): Clay Guida his first knockout since 2008 when he made quick work of veteran Joe Lauzon to kick off the main card of UFC Fight Night 120. At 35 years of age, Guida is rounding into the best form of his career.
