Song Yadong, Marlon Vera, Cortney Casey and Miguel Baeza each earned $50,000 bonuses for their performances at Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 8 event.
Yadong and Vera earned the “Fight of the Night,” while Casey and Baeza each won “Performance of the Night” honors. UFC officials announced the winners following the event, which MMA Junkie attended.
Yadong (16-4-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) took a unanimous decision from Vera (17-6-1 MMA, 9-5 UFC) in their bantamweight bout to open the main card. The fight was close, and Vera was upset enough at the decision that he snubbed Yadong for a post-fight handshake.
Casey (9-7 MMA, 5-6 UFC) submitted Mara Romero Borella (12-8 MMA, 2-4 UFC) with a first-round armbar in her move to the women’s flyweight division. It was Casey’s first submission win since November 2016.
Baeza (9-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) stayed undefeated with a second-round knockout of veteran Matt Brown (22-17 MMA, 15-11 UFC) to close out the prelims. Brown had big moments in the first round, but Baeza rallied late, then carried that over into the second for a quick KO.
UFC on ESPN 8 took place Saturday at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. The card aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+. It was the UFC’s third fight in an eight-day stretch in Jacksonville.
UFC on ESPN 8 bonuses: Yadong-Vera war takes 'Fight of Night' honors
