UFC 200 post-fight bonuses: Nunes, Velasquez earn $50,000 for knockouts

The UFC’s 200th event was about as unpredictable as the final lineup. Fights that people thought would end instantaneously dragged out while others rushed to unexpected finishes. Here are the fighters who earned post fight bonuses forUFC 200: Tate vs. Nunes.

Performance of the Night: Amanda Nunes, Cain Velasquez, Gegard Mousasi and Joe Lauzon.

The UFC decided that instead of giving out two bonuses for Fight of The Night, that four fighters with great individual performances deserved an extra $50,000.

Amanda Nunes was a shoe-in for the award after her 1st round finish of Miesha Tate to capture the UFC Bantamweight Championship. Nunes finished Tate with a rear naked choke after rocking Tate on the feet. The narrative for the fight was that if Tate dragged the fight out for longer, she would be able to take advantage of Nunes lack of experience in 5 round fights. Nunes didn’t allow that to happen.

Cain Velasquez showed some new striking techniques as well as reminded people of his vicious ground and pound with the TKO win over Travis Browne. The victory is his first since losing the UFC Heavyweight Championship to Fabricio Werdum. It was a much needed win for Velasquez, coming off the loss and major back surgery.

Gegard Mousasi earned his extra $50,000 with a first round knockout of Thiago Santos. Mousasi dominated on the ground, landing heavy strikes and wearing out Santos. He then allowed Santos to stand up, just to knock him out. It was an excellent performance and a great finish for Mousasi.

Joe Lauzon added yet another fight night bonus to his resume by being the first person to finish Diego Sanchez with stirkes. The fight was expected by most to be a war, but Lauzon put an end to that though by punishing Sanchez over and over again against the cage.