Damacio Page, left, vs. Brad Pickett (Josh Hedges/UFC)
Bahadurzada, Maguire, Pickett, Page take home $50,000
On a night that featured six submissions in the first eight fights and two big knockouts on the main card, choices for fight night bonus awards were abundant.
But it was Siyar Bahadurzada and John Maguire who took home extra checks for their stoppage wins, and Brad Pickett and Damacio Page for their Fight of the Night. Each of the four fighters received $50,000 in bonus money Saturday for their performances at UFC on Fuel TV: Gustafsson vs. Silva. UFC president Dana White announced the bonus winners and amounts after the card, which was the UFC’s debut in Sweden.
Bahadurzada, making a highly anticipated UFC debut, needed just 42 seconds to knock out Paulo Thiago in their welterweight bout on the main card. It took him just three strikes. All three landed, including one as Thiago came in that put his lights out for a Knockout of the Night victory. Bahadurzada said a hand injury before the fight may have been injured further with the knockout punch.
“I did feel (he was out) because I think I broke my right hand,” Bahadurzada said. “Ten days before the fight, I think I broke my right hand. But I didn’t go to the doctor – I didn’t want to know if it was broken. I would fight anyway.”
Maguire had a back-and-forth first round against DaMarques Johnson, who himself pulled off some lovely submission attempts – though he couldn’t finish them. But late in the second, after Johnson worked for a kimura, Maguire turned the move over perfectly and rolled right into the one counter for the position he was in – a straight armbar. Johnson quickly tapped, then shook his head in disbelief. The Submission of the Night win was Maguire’s second straight UFC victory and his ninth submission win out of 17.
Pickett and Page traded all kinds of shots throughout the better part of two rounds. But late in the second, Pickett was able to take advantage of landing some good shots on the ground, sank in a rear naked choke and forced Page to tap. It was Pickett’s first win in the UFC. Page has lost three in a row, but has a $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus to comfort him.
Bahadurzada got some serious competition for Knockout of the Night from Brian Stann, who knocked out Alessio Sakara in the co-main event – from Sakara’s guard on the ground. Stann was returning for the first time since a UFC 136 loss to Chael Sonnen. Sakara was fighting for the first time in a year. The two traded early, but Stann got inside and landed several big knees. Though he couldn’t get the finish right away, after settling into Sakara’s guard, he postured up and landed two big right hands. Stann stopped himself even before referee Marc Goddard could get in to shut the fight down with a rare knockout from an opponent’s guard.