NEW ORLEANS – Fight-Night bonuses in the amount of $55,000 were awarded to Jake Ellenberger, T.J. Waldburger, Lance Benoist, and Matt Riddle at tonight’s UFC Fight Night 25 event.
Jake Ellenberger needed only 53 seconds to TKO Jake Shields in the main event to not only pick up the biggest win of his career, but also “Knockout of the Night” honors, and an extra $55k. Ellenberger landed two big knees that dropped an advancing Shields, and then uncorked six unanswered left hands forcing the referee to intervene and stop the fight.
T. J. Waldburger showed off a slick ground game that saw him transition from an arm bar attempt to a tight triangle choke that elicited a tap from Mike Stumpf in the first-round. The finish earned Waldburger his “Submission of the Night” award.
Lance Benoist made the most of his UFC debut, battling Matt Riddle over three rounds and edging out a unanimous decision victory, earning both fighters $55,000 for “Fight of the Night.”