Junie Browning, Dave Kaplan, Anthony Johnson and Krzysztof Soszynski each earned "fight night" bonuses for their performances at "The Ultimate Fighter: Team Nogueira vs. Team Mir" live finale.
The Ultimate Fighter 8 Finale took place Saturday at the The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas and aired live on Spike TV.
The bonuses were worth $25,000 each.
The opening bout of the Spike TV broadcast featured a scrap between controversial lightweight Junie Browning (3-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) and the equally debated Dave Kaplan (2-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC). After colorful entrances by both fighters, the two stood toe-to-toe from the opening bell.
Browning's striking was crisp and precise, and Kaplan's face showed the damage. But while billed as an explosive striker during his tenure on "The Ultimate Fighter," the 23-year-old Browning showcased his ground skills en route to securing a second-round submission win by arm bar. The exciting effort landed the pair the evening's "Fight of the Night" bonus, just as Kaplan told MMAjunkie.com (
www.mmajunkie.com) before the bout.
Anthony Johnson (6-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) entered his rematch looking for revenge from a controversial first meeting with Kevin Burns (7-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC). He extracted that revenge, secured a spot on future UFC highlight reels and earned some extra income with one swift move of his left leg.
The first two rounds of the bout were a struggle, but Johnson left no doubt who would walk out of the ring a winner. A brief opening early in the final frame was met with a stunningly quick kick to the head from Johnson, and Burns was out before he hit the mat. The impressive blast earned Johnson the unquestionable "Knockout of the Night" award.
Light heavyweight Krzysztof Soszynski (16-8-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) was an early favorite to win the 205-pound tournament of this season of "The Ultimate Fighter." Finalist Vinny Magalhaes kept that dream from coming true, but Soszynski proved he's got jiu jitsu, too, in a second-round submission win over Shane Primm (1-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC).
Soszynski worked in a kimura attempt early in the second frame, and then remained patient when it was not initially effective. An adjustment of the hold forced the tap and earned the Canadian resident the "Submission of the Night" bonus.
