Saturday night was just about a perfect evening for Jan Blachowicz, the kind that ends with a little extra money.
With UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones watching in the front row, Blachowicz knocked Corey Anderson cold in the main event of UFC on ESPN+ 25, using a nasty right hand to finish him at 3:08 of the opening round.
Not only did Blachowicz (26-8 MMA, 9-5 UFC) make a statement in front of Jones, but it earned the Polish contender a “Performance of the Night” bonus of $50,000. That was the fifth career post-fight bonus for Blachowicz, all of which have come over his past eight bouts.
Daniel Rodriguez, meanwhile, cashed in on his UFC debut. The 33-year-old out of Alhambra, Calif., took on a tall task when he accepted a short-notice replacement fight against Tim Means at altitude near Means’ hometown. But it paid off for Rodriguez (11-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) with a second-round submission victory and the evening’s other “Performance of the Night” bonus.
“Fight of the Night” went to a matchup between a fighter who’s no stranger to post-fight awards against a competitor getting his first taste of extra dough. Jim Miller and Scott Holtzman put on a compelling battle in which Miller (31-14 MMA, 20-13 UFC) started strong and Holtzman 14-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) turned the tide and went on to a unanimous decision.
The veteran Miller can take some consolation in taking home his 11th career post-fight bonus, while Holtzman earned the first bonus of his five-year UFC career.
UFC on ESPN+ 25 drew an announced crowd of 6,449 paying a gate of $596,820 at Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho, N.M. It was Zuffa’s third trip to New Mexico, as WEC 32 was held in the same building in 2008 and the UFC debuted in nearby Albuquerque in 2014.
