The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) made it’s inaugural trip to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada this past Sunday night (August 23, 2015) for UFC Fight Night 74. After the event concluded, the UFC awarded $50,000 to two fighters for ‘Performance of the Night’ and two fighters for ‘Fight of the Night’. The lines to wager on these props were available at Several Bookmakerss. And without further ado, UFC Fight Night 74’s Bonus-Award winners were… Patrick Cote and Josh Burkman earn Fight of the Night honors for their back and forth war on the main card of this past Sunday night’s UFC Fight Night 74. Both welterweights had their moments throughout the contest, but it was the French-Canadian who sealed the deal with a TKO in the third and final round of action, giving Burkman the first T/KO defeat of his professionl mixed martial arts career. The win makes Cote two in a row inside the Octagon and marks his first UFC finish in nearly eight years. Noteworthy fight(s): – Valerie Letourneau defeated Maryna Moroz via split decision following three rounds of entertaining action that saw both ladies have their moments. The victory makes the French-Canadian 3-0 inside the Octagon, and 2-0 in the women’s 115-pound division, where she could potentially challenge the champion for the title. Frankie Perez earns Performance of the Night (formerly, Knockout of the Night) Perez picked up his first win inside the UFC’s Octagon by knocking out veteran Sam Stout in the very first round of action. In his post-fight speech following the victory, Perez announced his retirement from the sport of mixed martial arts. At only 26 years of age and going into the sunset off a win, it certainly was a rare mixed martial arts moment. It was an impressive, highlight-reel victory for Perez, and the fact that it was over a veteran he has looked up to for years makes the icing on the cake. Noteworthy T/KO(s): – Patrick Cote’s aforementioned third round TKO win over Josh Burkman. – Francisco Trinaldo’s first round TKO win over formerly undefeated Chad Laprise. The Brazilian dropped the Candian, and followed up with a brutal ground and pound to seal the deal, giving the TUF: Nations winner his first taste of defeat. An emotional moment followed his victory, when in his post-fight speech, Trinaldo said his birthday was tomorrow and he never had a birthday party, so he wants his mother to throw a party for the kids in Brazil. A touching, heart-felt moment; certainly another rare one in the sport of MMA. Felipe Arantes earns Performance of the Night (formerly, Submission of the Night) Arantes made his debut in the UFC’s 135-pound division and it could not have gone any better, as he submitted veteran Yves Jabouin via armbar in the first round of action. It was a solid outing by the Brazilian, and a picture-perfect way for him to return to the win column in his divisional debut. Noteworthy Submission(s): – Nikita Krylov defeated Marcos Rogerio de Lima via rear naked choke submission in the first stanza. After surviving the Brazilian’s early submission attempts, the Ukrainian found himself in superior position on the mat and sunk up a choke to earn the tap for his third straight win inside the Octagon; all three of which have come within the first round of action.
