The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) was live from Fairfax, VA yesterday (Saturday, April 4, 2015) with UFC Fight Night 63 and produced a day of entertaining scraps. When the action concluded, the promotion handed four $50,000 checks to four fighters for ‘Fight of the Night’ honors. UFC Fight Night 63’s Bonus Winners were… Chad Mendes earned Performance of the Night honors for his first round TKO over #4 ranked Ricardo Lamas in the main event of the evening. Scoring the impressive victory, “Money” returns to the win column following his second failed bid at Jose Aldo’s featherweight strap. Julianna Pena earned Performance of the Night honors for her first round TKO over Russia’s Milana Dudieva. It was a picture-perfect way for “The Venezuelan Vixen” to return to the Octagon following her extended injury layoff, as she faced adversity and managed to come out on top with a dominant and violent victory. She advances to 2-0 inside the Octagon and hopes two more wins will earn her a crack at the women’s 135-pound gold. Dustin Poirier earned Performance of the Night honors for his first round TKO over former Legacy FC lightweight champion Carlos Diego Ferreira. “The Diamond” got the 155-pound debut he hoped for, and one could not imagine it playing out any better. He will hope to go 2-0 in the UFC’s lightweight division in New Orleans this June. Timothy Johnson earned Performance of the Night honors for his first round TKO over fellow promotional newcomer Shamil Abdurahimov. He was getting outstruck on the feet, but managed to score a takedown late in the frame, immediately advancing into mount and releasing his ground and pound attack. Despite the fact that most of the strikes were not landing and there was only four seconds left on the clock, the referee intervened and called off the action. I did not agree with the stoppage, but it was far from the worst I’ve seen. Other noteworthy performance(s): – Clay Guida defeated Robbie Peralta via unanimous decision on the judges’ scorecards, nearly ending the bout with an arm-triangle-choke submission at one point. It was a very solid outing for Guida, and a great way for him to return to the win column. Spending time training at Team Alpha Male in Sacramento, CA and Glendale Fight Club in Glendale, CA, Guida has made serious improvements in his game, and it was evident in the contest. His striking looked especially improved, and certainly the best he’s ever looked on the feet. His work with GFC’s Edvard Tarverdyan has made a difference in his game, and this old dog has proven that he is still capable of learning new tricks.
