UFC 243 post-fight bonuses: Adesanya KOs Whittaker in POTN fashion
Check out which fighters won performance bonuses from UFC 243: Whittaker vs. Adesanya.
Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Australia was home to a great night of fights. The card saw three (T)KOs, three submissions and five decisions, including one split-decision.
Performances of the Night: Israel Adesanya, Yorgan de Castro
Yorgan De Castro needed just two minutes to defeat Justin Tafa after a brawling good start. The two traded kicks and punches before a pair of uppercuts started the chain reaction. De Castro came in with a Herculean right that put Tafa to sleep before he ever hit the mat, earning him the win and a $50,000 bonus.
Israel Adesanya scored a sweet, second-round knockout of Robert Whittaker in front of 57,000+ fans tonight. The “Last Stylebender” waded right through an early charge from Whittaker, causing the “Reaper” to miss more often than not during their exchanges. They traded kicks, and in the last seconds of the round, Adesanya dropped Whittaker, but Bobby Knuckles was saved by the horn.
The second round saw Whittaker once again reckless, lunging with shots, but landing here and there as he chased Adesanya around the cage. Izzy countered beautifully, though, and so did the head kicks he was launching. They traded some more before Rob ended up eating a huge counter that dropped him like a sack of bricks. Adesanya swarmed with punches forcing the ref to interven. AND NEW!
Israel Adesanya gets the win, the belt and a $50,000 bonus.
Fight of the Night: Brad Riddell vs. Jamey Mkullarkey
Brad Riddell and Jamie Mullarkey put on a super entertaining scrap that saw both men engaged in a standup battle with Riddell getting the better end of the exchanges. Mullarkey wasn’t a stationary target, though, landing hard jabs and hooks frequently and scrambling well on the ground.
The third round was an all-out war with Mullarkey taking numerous hard shots until he landed a massive bomb that rocked Riddell. Jamie gets him to the ground and locks in a rear-naked choke, but lets it go a few moments later. The two continued swinging for the fences, but Riddell has managed to knock out Mullarkey’s mouthpiece—twice—and is just piecing Mullarkey up. Somehow, they go the distance, and Riddell gets the unanimous decision win and both men scored a $50,000 bonus.
Attendance: 57,127
Gate: $5.5 million