The UFC handed out four bonuses after Saturday’s card in France, including one to the co-main event upset winner.
After UFC Fight Night 258, four fighters picked up an extra $50,000 for their performances at Accor Arena in Paris. Check out the winners below.
Performance of the Night: Kaue Fernandes
Kaue Fernandes (11-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) added his name to the UFC history books when he took out short-notice newcomer and former Cage Warriors champion Harry Hardwick (13-4-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) in the first round. Fernandes became just the 19th fighter to end a bout with leg kicks and sent Hardwick out of the cage in a wheelchair – literally.
Performance of the Night: Ante Delija
Ante Delija has been to the top of the mountain in other organizations, and now he wants to make his mark in the UFC. Delija (26-6 MMA, 1-0 UFC), who won the PFL’s $1 million 2022 heavyweight season, shut down Marcin Tybura (27-10 MMA, 14-9 UFC) with a first-round knockout in his UFC debut. The win avenged a loss from nearly 10 years ago in Russia when Tybura beat Delija with an injury TKO to win the M-1 Global heavyweight title.
Performance of the Night: Mason Jones
Mason Jones (17-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) will find himself in the running for Comeback of the Year in a few months after his second-round TKO against Bolaji Oki (10-3 MMA, 2-2 UFC). Oki knocked Jones down in the first round and had him on the ropes, without question – though the Welshman jokingly said in his post-fight interview he wasn’t hurt. Jones survived a precarious start to turn the menu over on Oki and even won the first round from one of the three judges. In the second, though, he made sure it didn’t matter and finished Oki to complete the rally.
Performance of the Night: Benoit Saint Denis
Although he was fighting in front of his home fans in France, Benoit Saint Denis (15-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) didn’t have a wealth of people backing him in his co-main event against Mauricio Ruffy (12-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC). But quickly into their lightweight fight, Saint Denis had Ruffy looking uncomfortable for the first time in his young UFC career. And in the second, “BSD” dragged the Fighting Nerds prospect to the canvas and eventually forced him to tap from a rear-naked choked that appeared to be more of a face crank.
