The Octagon returned to Miami for tonight’s UFC 299 event, a fourteen-bout fight card headlined by Sean O’Malley vs. Marlon Vera 2.
The highly anticipated men’s bantamweight title fight rematch resulted in an absolute masterclass from Sean O’Malley. While the fight ended up going the distance, O’Malley was able to put on a striking clinic, absolutely battering Marlon Vera for the majority of their twenty-five-minute affair. ‘Suga’ clearly had the speed advantage over ‘Chito’, which he utilized to control and smother the challenger. After five-rounds of hard-fought action, O’Malley was awarded a much-deserved unanimous decision victory.
UFC 299 was co-headlined by a key lightweight bout featuring Dustin Poirier taking on Benoit Saint-Denis. The contest proved to be a thrilling back and forth affair. Benoit Saint-Denis got off to a strong start in the opening round, battering Dustin Poirier with a heavy volume of strikes while also controlling the fight on the canvas. However, the Frenchman’s ferocious pressure ultimately came back to haunt him round two, as ‘The Diamond’ was able to land a big left hand that dropped him. ‘BSD’ quickly got back to his feet, but only to be put down for good with a massive right hand from the former interim lightweight champ.
Following the conclusion of tonight’s event, UFC officials announced at the post-fight press conference that seven fighters would be taking home performance bonuses.
Fight of the night: Lightweight fighters Dustin Poirier and Benoit Saint-Denis each pocketed $50k for their thrilling war in tonight’s UFC 299 co-main event. ‘The Diamond’ ultimately won the contest by second round knockout (see that here).
Performance of the night: Sean O’Malley earned an extra $50k for his dominant performance against Marlon Vera in tonight’s headliner. ‘Suga’ put on a striking clinic and earned a lopsided unanimous decision victory.
Performance of the night: Jack Della Maddalena pocketed an extra $50k for his third-round TKO victory over Gilbert Burns (see that here).
Performance of the night: Curtis Blaydes earned an extra $50k for his second-round knockout victory over Jailton Almeida in tonight’s UFC 299 featured prelim (see that here).
Performance of the night: Michel Pereira pocketed an an extra $50k for his first-round submission victory over Michal Oleksiejczuk.
Performance of the night: Robelis Despaigne earned an extra $50k for his 18-second knockout victory over Josh Parisian.
Are you surprised by any of the performance bonuses handed out by Dana White and company following the conclusion of tonight’s UFC 299 event in Miami? Share your thoughts in the comment section PENN Nation!
