The Octagon returned to Salt Lake City for tonight’s UFC 291 event, an eleven-bout fight card headlined by Dustin Poirier vs. Justin Gaethje 2.
The highly anticipated BMF title fight proved to be the thrilling back and forth affair that most fight fans were hoping for. The opening five minutes were close, but most pros and analysts gave the round to ‘The Diamond’. Then, in round two, Justin Gaethje was able to find a home for a big head kick which sent Dustin Poirier crashing to the canvas. From there, ‘The Highlight’ would land one last hammer fist before the referee quickly jumped in to stop the fight.
The co-main event of UFC 291 featured a key light heavyweight bout between Alex Pereira and Jan Blachowicz. The contest resulted in a tightly contested back and forth affair. Jan Blachowicz was able to dominate Alex Pereira on the ground in round one, almost scoring a rear-naked choke submission. However, ‘Poatan’ was able to keep the fight standing for the majority of rounds two and three and ultimately got off the better shots during that stretch. After fifteen minutes of action the bout went to the judges’ scorecards and it was Pereira who won by split decision.
Following the conclusion of tonight’s event, UFC officials announced at the post-fight press conference that four fighters would be taking home performance bonuses.
Performance of the night: Justin Gaethje earned an extra $50k for his second round knockout victory over Dustin Poirier (see that here).
Performance of the night: Derrick Lewis pocketed an extra $50k for his 33-second TKO victory over Marcos Rogerio de Lima (see that here).
Performance of the night: Bobby Green earned an extra $50k for his third round submission win over Tony Ferguson (see that here).
Performance of the night: Kevin Holland pocketed an extra $50k for his first-round submission victory over Michael Chiesa (see that here).
Are you surprised by any of the performance bonuses handed out by Dana White and company following the conclusion of tonight’s UFC 291 event in Salt Lake City? Share your thoughts in the comment section PENN Nation!
