UFC Fight Night 81 came and went, crowning a new Bantamweight Champion and producing a night of excitement that saw eight of it’s 13 bouts end inside the inside. 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. UFC Fight Night 81’s Post-Fight Bonus-Award winners were… Ed Herman earns Performance of the Night (formerly, Knockout of the Night) “Short Fuse” made his debut in the UFC’s light heavyweight division and scored a second round knockout of fellow veteran Tim Boetsch. He got the better of Boetsch in the first stanza and finished him off with a knee to the chin from inside the clinch that from “The Barbarian” to the canvas. An impressive, highlight reel knockout win for Herman, who looks to have new life at 205-pounds. Noteworthy T/KO(s): – Patrick Cote defeated Ben Saunders via TKO in the second round of action. After getting the better of “Killa B” in the first frame, Cote hurt him with uppercuts from inside the clinch in the second, dropping him to the canvas and falling into his guard, from which point he unleashed a brutal ground and pound attack that eventually forced the referee to step in and halt the action. The win makes it three in a row for “The Predator” inside the Octagon, and his second by TKO. – Ilir Latifi defeated Sean O’Connell via knockout at only half a minute into the very first round of action. Adding a great highlight to his reel, “The Sledgehammer” hopes to main event the promotion’s next trip to Sweden. Luke Sanders earns Performance of the Night (formerly, Submission of the Night) “Cool Hand” impressed in his Octagon debut, taking out veteran Maximo Blanco via rear naked choke submission in the very first round of action. Sanders stepped up on short notice to take on Blanco, and did so a weight class above his natural weight class of 135-pounds. Keeping his professional mixed martial arts record intact at 11-0, his next Octagon outing will be in the bantamweight division, where he will look to make a run for the gold. Noteworthy Submission(s): – Chris Wade made quick work over short-notice promotional newcomer Mehdi Baghdad, defeating the now-former RFA lightweight champion via rear naked choke submission in the very first round of action. It was a solid outing for Wade, who is now 4-0 inside the Octagon. – Paul Felder defeated Daron Cruickshank via rear naked choke submission in the third and final round of action. Arguably down two rounds on the judges’ scorecards heading intot he final stanza, Felder came out strong and ultimately found the finish, saving himself from being put on the chopping block. Dominick Cruz and TJ Dillashaw earn Fight of the Night honors for their five round battle in the main event of the evening for UFC Fight Night 81 in Boston. Cruz returned from an extended injury layoff and took a split decision on the judges’ scorecards following five rounds of action, reclaiming the UFC Bantamweight title which he never lost in the first place. It was a very entertaining scrap and fight fans are glad to see “The Dominator” back! Noteworthy fight(s): – The aforementioned Felder vs Cruickshank bout. – Charles Rosa defeated Kyle Bochniak via unanimous decision on the judges’ scorecards following three entertaining back and forth rounds of action, though it did not come without some controversy, as a number of spectators scored the bout for the promotional newcomer Bochniak. Despite the official outcome, it was a solid outing for both 145-pounders who should see their stock rise following their throwdown in their hometown of Boston.
