Following last night’s UFC On FOX 22 event in Sacremento the recipients of the evening’s $50,000 bonus awards were announced.
The ‘Fight Of The Night’ award on this occasion was handed to Leslie Smith and Irene Aldana who engaged in a full-blooded, back-and-forth battle for 15 minutes, with Smith the constant aggressor throughout.
Aldana had been the favorite going into the fight, but Smith never gave her any space to operate and her gutsy, tough-as-nails approach to the bout earned her a unanimous decision victory.
Meanwhile, headliner Michele Waterson earned a ‘Performance Of The Night’ award after a swift submission finish against Paige VanZant.
Waterson had used side kicks to keep her distance from PVZ in the early stages of the opening round, but after her opponent failed on a takedown attempt, ‘The Karate Hottie’ decided to show off her own ground skills by taking her to the mat and ten latching onto a rear-naked choke that would produce the finish.
Scottish fighter Paul Craig made an impact in his UFC debut earlier in the evening, with an armbar submission in the second round earning him a big win over the undefeated Henrique Da Silva and an extra $50,000 in his bank account, just in time for Christmas.
