Dustin Poirier’s thrilling five-round victory over Dan Hooker is high on the list of potential “Fight of the Year” candidates, so it almost goes without saying that Poirier’s win also goes into the books as UFC on ESPN 12’s “Fight of the Night.”
Hooker (20-9 MMA, 10-5 UFC) took the first two rounds before Poirier (27-6 MMA, 18-5 UFC) rallied back to win the final three for a unanimous decision on scores of 48-47, 48-47, and 48-46. And by taking home “Fight of the Night,” they’ll also go home with $50,000 extra. It was Poirier’s ninth career post-fight bonus, while Hooker earned his fifth.
Additionally, two other noteworthy performers earned “Performance of the Night,” taking home an additional $50,000 of their own, and did so under considerably different circumstances.
Strawweight Kay Hansen, who was making her UFC debut at 20, got off to a slow start in her preliminary bout against former Invicta champ Jinh You Frey. But Hansen (7-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) roared back and earned an armbar submission at the 2:26 mark of the third round.
Julian Erosa (24-8 MMA, 2-4 UFC) took a bout with Sean Woodson on just a few days’ notice as a replacement to start his third UFC stint. Erosa announced he’s planning on sticking around this time with a third-round submission via D’Arce choke in the 150-pound catchweight bout, giving “Juicy J” the other “Performance of the Night” award.
UFC on ESPN 12 took place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.
UFC on ESPN 12 bonuses: Dustin Poirier vs. Dan Hooker a no-brainer 'Fight of the Night'
