PITTSBURGH – Cheick Kongo, Joe Lauzon, Charles Oliveira and Nik Lentz each earned $50,000 “Fight Night” bonuses for their performances at Sunday’s “UFC on Versus 4: Kongo vs. Barry” event.
Kongo earned the night’s “Knockout of the Night” award, Lauzon picked up the “Submission of the Night” bonus, and Oliveira and Lentz took home “Fight of the Night” honors.
Reporters learned of the bonus winners and award amounts while at UFC on Versus 4’s post-event press conference.
The amounts mark the largest across-the-board bonuses ever issued at a UFC on Versus event, although Diego Sanchez and Martin Kampmann were each given special $160,000 “Fight of the Night” awards following their epic UFC on Versus 3 brawl.
Kongo’s bonus came in spectacular fashion after nearly falling victim to a Pat Barry highlight-reel finish. The French striker somehow shook off the cobwebs of an “HD” assault and landed two crisp right hands to the chin, leaving Barry out cold.
Lauzon earned his check (the eighth “Fight Night” check of his career) with a single-round assault of Curt Warburton. After dropping his opponent with a crisp shot to the chin, Lauzon abandoned his dominant position in favor of locking in a gruesome kimura that earned him the win and the check.
Oliveira and Lentz delivered one of the best opening rounds in recent memory with a back-and-forth affair, and the two appeared well on their way to delivering an all-time classic. However, Oliveira blasted Lentz with an illegal knee that went unnoticed by the match referee, changing the course of the fight for good. A second (legal) knee rocked Lentz again, and Oliveira finished up with a rear-naked choke. The result of the fight is expected to be appealed, but both fighters walked away with an impressive bonus check.
