The Ultimate Fighting Championship was live from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada on Saturday, December 16 for UFC on Fox 26. 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 on Fox 26 Bonuses went to…
Julian Marquez and Darren Stewart earn Performance of the Night (Formerly Fight of the Night)
Julian Marquez’s UFC debut was one of the more anticipated bouts on the undercard, but it even exceeded expectations. Marquez and Stewart got in a back and forth slug fest with both fighters taking big shots. In the second round, Marquez’s body work began to take a toll as it slowed down Stewart. Once Stewart started to slow, Marquez took over and was able to secure a submission to win the fight in the second round. It was an exciting fight and worthy of fight of the night. Both fighters received a bonus for their efforts.
Nordine Taleb earns Performance of the Night (formerly, Knockout of the Night)
In what was expected to be a competitive bout, Nordine Taleb made quick work of his opponent Danny Roberts. Taleb landed a beautiful head kick that sent Roberts back towards the cage. With Roberts dazed, Taleb threw a heavy punch that hit Roberts in the left temple dropping him to the canvas for one of the best two strike knockouts one will ever see. Taleb has now won three of his last four fights and is fighting at his highest level despite being 36 years of age.
Alessio Di Chirico earns Performance of the Night (formerly, Knockout of the Night)
After a somewhat lackluster first round, Alessio Di Chirico landed a beautiful knee that dropped Oluwale Bamgbose to the canvas forcing the referee to step in and stop the fight. It was one of the cleanest knees one will see earning Di Chirico a bonus.
Other noteworhy result(s): Rafael dos Anjos earned one of the biggest wins of his career as he dismantled Robbie Lawler in a brilliant five round performance. Lawler is generally the fighter in his bouts that gets better as the fight goes on, but it was dos Anjos leg work and constant pressure that caused Lawler problems allowing him to prevail. A title shot is likely on the horizon for dos Anjos.
Josh Emmett stunned the Winnipeg crowd landing a left hook that sent featherweight contender Ricardo Lamas. The first round knockout immediately puts Emmett into the rankings discussion at featherweight and should give him another high profile fight in his next bout.
Chad Laprise was nearly finished by Galore Bofando in the opening round of their bout. After finding his way back into the fight, he was able to secure a takedown and beat up Bofando on the mat to earn a late first round stoppage. It was one of the wildest first rounds in recent memory in the UFC.
